The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday sent invitations to third parties to express their interest (EOI) in acquiring the title sponsorship rights for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020.
The tournament will be held in the UAE from September 19, 2020, to November 10, 2020, and the board has sent an invitation to third parties after title sponsorship with Vivo was suspended for this edition of the IPL.
"The Rights are available for the period from August 18, 2020, to December 31, 2020. Details regarding the Rights and product categories in which the Rights are available will be provided only to parties who submit the EOI and are found eligible," the BCCI said in an official statement.
The board has said that the turnover of the interested third party must be over INR 300 Crores as per the last audited accounts.
Each EOI should contain the full name and address of the relevant third party and indicate the product category or product categories in respect of which the third party is interested of being appointed as a Title Sponsor for IPL 2020, and the party should also provide last audited accounts evidencing a turnover of INR 300 Crores.
The rights and the product categories will be discussed after the delivery of EOIs, with each third party having submitted an EOI, and to clarify, third parties need not include any indicative level of fees for acquiring the Rights in their EOIs.
The final bid will be submitted in accordance with the procedure prescribed in clause 13 below.
The board has also clarified that they shall not be obliged to award the rights to the third party which indicates a willingness to pay the highest fees in the course of discussions/ negotiations with BCCI after submitting an EOI.
Each EOI must be received by 5 pm IST on August 14, 2020. Any EOIs received after this deadline will not be considered unless BCCI decides otherwise at its sole discretion.
The 13th edition of the T20 tournament will be staged at three venues (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah) in the UAE.
"Taking note of the prevailing COVID-19 situation in India, the IPL GC decided to stage the tournament in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the matches will be played in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi subject to necessary clearances from the Government of India," BCCI had said in a release.
Moreover, both the afternoon and evening matches will be played half-an-hour earlier than usual.
"IPL 2020 will be played from September 19 and the final will be played on November 10, 2020. The 53-day tournament will witness 10-afternoon matches starting at 15:30 IST while the evening matches will start at 19:30 IST," the release had stated.
Last week, BCCI and Vivo had also suspended the title sponsorship rights for this year's IPL.
There has been a huge outcry for boycotting Chinese products after 20 Indian Army personnel, including a Colonel, were killed in the violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in June.
Earlier in the day, IPL chairman Brijesh Patel had confirmed that the board has received government approval to go ahead with the tournament in the UAE.
( With inputs from ANI )
