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Omar slams IPL for retaining Chinese sponsors amid boycott emotions

Jammu | 3 August 2020

National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah has pointed out that while people were boycotting Chinese goods in the wake of standoff 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," Omar Abdullah wrote on Twitter.
The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister was reacting to the news about the Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council's decision to retain all its sponsors, including Chinese mobile company VIVO, in the event to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 19 to November 10. "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 said. In a tweet, he said "we always suspected that we really can't manage" without the sponsorship and advertising of Chinese companies.
"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," the NC leader said, while referring to the remarks of a news anchor of a private television channel. The Indian Premier League (IPL) which is all set to be held in the UAE this time from September 19 to November 10, and will continue with sponsors linked to China. The decision is subject to approval from the government. The BCCI had said that it would reconsider the sponsorships in the wake of border tensions with China, which led to 20 Indian soldiers being killed in a clash on June 15. The IPL's Chinese links also include Paytm, with investments from Alibaba, as umpire partner. They also include Dream 11, as online fantasy league partner, and Swiggy, as associate sponsor - both have links to Chinese Internet giant Tencent.