The decision of the Indian Premier League's Governing Council to retain all its sponsors, including Chinese mobile company VIVO, has sparked off a major row, with fans, politicians and others questioning the move, in the backdrop of calls to boycott Chinese products and companies, in the aftermath of the Galwan Valley clash.
The issue of Chinese sponsorship of the IPL became a bone of contention after clashes between the Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh in June. India lost 20 soldiers, causing outrage across the country after which the BCCI promised to review the deals.
"All I can say is that all our sponsors are with us. Hopefully you can read between the lines," an IPL GC member told PTI on conditions of anonymity after Sunday's IPL GC meeting.
The tournament will be played from September 19 to November 10 at three venues in the UAE—Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi—subject to government approval, which is expected in the next couple of days.
As IPL title sponsor, VIVO pays around Rs 440 crore per year, a five-year deal that ends in 2022. It would have been difficult for the Board to get new sponsors at a short notice given the current financially difficult climate.
Fans took to social media to voice their protest against the BCCI's decision, using hashtag #BoycottIPL.
Former J&K chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, too, pointed out that while people were boycotting Chinese goods in the wake of incursions in Ladakh by the neighbouring country, the IPL cricket tournament has been allowed to retain all its sponsors, including those from the neighbouring country.
"Chinese cellphone makers will continue as title sponsors of the IPL while people are told to boycott Chinese products. It's no wonder China is thumbing it's nose at us when we are so confused about how to handle Chinese money/investment/sponsorship/advertising," he wrote on Twitter.
"BCCI/IPL governing council has decided to retain all sponsors including the big Chinese ones. I feel bad for those idiots who threw their Chinese made TVs off their balconies only to see this happen," Abdullah tweeted.
He also took an indirect dig at TV anchor Arnab Goswami, tweeting, “The sheer suddenness of the move, the unexpected nature of the move, the unpredictability of the move. They don't know what hit them. Now the Chinese will know.......... what we always suspected that we really can't manage without their sponsorship & advertising.”
RSS-affiliate Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM) went a step ahead and said people should consider boycotting the IPL.
“The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council have shown utter disrespect to the Indian soldiers killed by Chinese troops with its decision to hold the cricket league with its Chinese sponsors,” SJM's co-convener Ashwani Mahajan said in a statement.
"At a time when the country is striving hard to make our economy free from Chinese dominance in the markets, the government is making all efforts to keep China out of our markets, this act of the IPL Governing Council is an aberration to the nation's mood," Mahajan said.
He added that people should consider boycotting the cricket league.
Mahajan also urged the IPL organisers and the BCCI to rethink about their decision to allow Chinese companies to sponsor the cricket league, while asserting that nothing is above the country's security and dignity.
(With PTI inputs)