IPL title sponsor to be announced next week

The title sponsor for the next phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be announced in a little under a week.

June 21 was the last day for interested companies to pick up the bid document, which was available from May 31 and will be opened on June 27.

While the full list of applicants has not been disclosed by the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India, sources say that Vivo is expected to try and retain the title sponsorship of the tournament for the next five years, and Indian handset manufacturer Intex has also turned in the bid document.

The IPL’s title sponsorship has been held by three brands since the tournament’s launch in 2008. For the first five years, DLF held the title sponsorship rights while in 2013, Pepsi came on board as the title sponsor. However, after the BCCI found itself in a mess with the spot-fixing and betting scam, the global beverage giant discontinued its deal in October 2015. This allowed Vivo to pick up the sponsorship rights for the last two years of Pepsi’s contract tenure.

The title sponsorship rights have attracted big money, with each successive sponsor paying more than the previous one.

Vivo’s annual outlay for the IPL sponsorship was double the fee paid by the first sponsor, DLF.

Experts say that the bidding for the title sponsorship rights will be fierce. “The IPL is a huge platform to reach a large number of people. The title sponsorship is bound to attract big bucks. Whether it will be more than what Vivo was paying already, and how much more, will be known only next week,” an expert said. The bid document was available for a fee of Rs 3 lakh. 

IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla, while announcing the timeline for the bidding for title sponsorship and media rights, had mirrored this sentiment. “If the success of 2017 season is an indication, I believe we will be able to get the best value and service for the world’s premier Twenty20 extravaganza. The early announcement will also help the prospective bidders/service providers to prepare well.” 

The media rights tender document will be available from July 17.