Vistara is flying all the franchises to the United Arab Emirates for this year’s Indian Premier League which is set to begin in the Gulf nation on September 19, as per reports.
The airline has already flown Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab to the UAE, a Moneycontrol report said. Vistara is doing a one-way charter for all teams, the report quoted a source as saying.
SpiceJet and IndiGo were also reportedly vying for the deal to take IPL teams to the UAE for the IPL. However, it is said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India mandated business class for some of the players and support staff, and the Tata Group-owned Vistara was chosen.
However, it is yet to be ascertained if the airline will be used to charter the team back home after the tournament.
Vistara is a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines.
The 13 edition of the IPL, which was postponed from March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be played across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah from September 19. The inaugural match will be played between Chennai Super Kings and defending champions Mumbai Indians. The final is scheduled to be played on November 10.
The IPL also has a new title sponsor after fantasy sports platform Dream11 won the bid when smartphone manufacturer Vivo pulled out of sponsoring the event this year following Indian-China border clashes and the boycott on Chinese products.
