MUMBAI: In what would be a first for TATA Sons IF it comes to fruition, India’s revered salt to software business house is reportedly in the running for title sponsorship rights of the Indian Premier League 2020.
Outlook India, quoting well-placed sources, reports that the Tatas have bid for the IPL title sponsorship and are now strong contenders ahead of four others who have also bid for the rights.
A formal announcement will be made by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on August 18.
IPL’s title sponsorship for the 2020 season went up for grabs after Chinese smartphone major Vivo pulled the plug on its rights deal, for which it was paying the BCCI Rs 4.4 billion per annum.
Besides TATA Sons, education technology platform Unacademy, Reliance Industries Ltd-owned telco Jio, yoga expert ‘Baba’ Ramdev-promoted Patanjali Ayurved and online tutoring unicorn BYJU’S are in the race for the IPL title rights, according to the magazine.
Incidentally, among the five bidders, the only one with Chinese investments is BYJU’S, which could prove the “deal-breaker” even if it turns out to be the highest bidder considering the strong anti-China sentiment prevailing in the country.
According to Outlook, the BCCI has closed the deal with Tata Sons. IF, the report proves correct, IPL will be the Tata’s first big association with cricket. The Group already owns Hero Indian Super League franchise Jamshedpur FC, has one of the country’s oldest football academies in Jamshedpur and also sponsors tennis, wrestling, and major marathons (in Indian and internationally).
Till early last week, BCCI was looking at a revenue of Rs 2.5-3 billion from the IPL title sponsorship this year. The billion rupee question is whether the equations have changed after the Tatas came into the picture?
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