IPL 2021 Auction: BCCI yet to decide title sponsor for IPL 14, board might host auctions without a sponsor

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Chennai, January 31: The BCCI has announced the dates for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 Auction which is February 18. The mini-auction for the fourteenth edition of the domestic T20 league will be held in Chennai this time after the second Test match between India and England gets over.

However, there is no word about who is going to be the official title sponsor for this year's cash-rich league. With so less time left to organise the auction, as well as the upcoming Test series with England, the BCCI might not be able to find the title sponsors just in time ahead of the auction.

IPL 2021 AUCTION SPECIAL PAGE

Last year, the IPL title sponsorship with Chinese smartphone company VIVO was suspended for a couple of years due to the border tensions between the troops of the neighbouring countries in Ladakh.

The BCCI invited fresh bid for a title sponsor for IPL 2020 and sports fantasy company Dream11 won the bid for the season. But as the deal was for just one season, it won't be renewed.

In total, 140 players were retained and 57 players were released. The eight franchises have a combined purse of Rs 196.4 crore available for the auction. Sixty players are available in all, and 21 of them are foreign players.

There are three possible options with the BCCI as far as finalising the title sponsor for the upcoming season are concerned.

#1- BCCI renegotiates sponsorship deal with Dream11: This is an option but it seems highly unlikely for this can put the board in legal trouble. As the tender for the title sponsorship was released for just one season, renegotiating the deal might irk the other competing parties. Renegotiation will be against the terms of the tender and can be challenged by the competing parties.

#2- Bring VIVO back onboard: The board has all the contractual right to go back to their previous title sponsors but given the tensions and public sentiments still against the Chinese products the move might irk the countrymen and with IPL always being a soft target of the critics the board would like to avoid any unnecessary trouble.

#3- Invite fresh tender for the Title Sponsor for IPL 2021: This could be the most feasible option for the BCCI considering the current circumstances. The move will also give a fair chance to everyone involved. Plus the board might fetch an even better deal for this year which might be equivalent to the what VIVO pledged to give the board on an annual basis, following the phenomenal rise of IPL 2020 viewership.

However, with so much already on its table, it will be interesting to see if the BCCI has the time to invite fresh bid for the IPL 2021 sponsor ahead of February 18.