The India-China tension is nowhere near the end. All the Chinese and Chinese funded companies have come under criticism and social media backlash.
Indian Premier League (IPL) title sponsor VIVO has already pulled out from the IPL 2020 edition while terminating the whole contract with Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). It has seen major chaos unfold after the Chinese smartphone manufacturer pulled out of sponsorship contracts.
Now, according to a report by Inside Sport, RSS affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) wants BCCI to drop IPL Central sponsors and Indian cricket sponsors like Byju’s, PayTM and Dream11 among many other Chinese-funded companies.
SJM is going to start a ‘Quit China’ movement from Sunday and will protest against IPL sponsors with the Chinese connect. According to a report by Outlook, BCCI will be among the main ‘targets’ for the SJM unit.
Dhananjay Bhide, a senior office-bearer of the Manch, told Outlook that the campaign is an attempt to add muscle to the concept of an ‘Atamnirbhar Bharat’ and drive a strong message to agents who continue to tow the Chinese line despite government appeals.
Bhide said: “Cricket has to choose between a self-reliant India and sponsors with Chinese money. Our campaign against BCCI will now gather steam. Players wear the tricolor on their helmets and represent India on the international stage. How can they so easily ignore the movement against Chinese businesses in India?”
Most private companies refuse to divulge details of Chinese investments but according to market estimates by Inside Sport:
1) Byju’s Edtech company – They are currently BCCI’s and Indian Cricket’s Jersey partner. Byju’s has a Chinese investor in the form of Tencent. According to a few reports, 3% of the company is held by Tencent.
2) PayTM is both the title partner of BCCI for the Indian cricket’s home matches and they also are the Central Partner on IPL. As per a few estimates, 55% of PayTM is held by different Chinese companies. ANT Financial, Alibaba are some of the Chinese funds who have invested in PayTM over the years.
3) Dream11 has received $100m funding from Chinese company Tencent. Tencent now reportedly holds 20% stake in the company.
BCCi is looking for sponsors to replace VIVO as the IPL 2020 title sponsor. They have contacted many companies like Reliance Jio, TATA and Amazon among many others.
Amazon has somewhat shown interest in the matter but hasn’t told anything officially. Amazon spends a huge amount of money on advertisements in festive seasons. IPL 2020 is just before the Diwali from 19th September to 10th November. So they may probably like to take this opportunity to sponsor IPL 2020 and be prominently visible throughout the tournament.
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