BCCI finally received official permission to host IPL 2020 by the Indian government in UAE after the competition was initially postponed due the coronavirus pandemic. But the Indian cricketing board suffered a huge blow when VIVO decided to step down as the tournaments main sponsor. And a month before the cash-rich leagues start, the race to bag the title sponsorship has intensified as per certain reports, Tata Sons are in the lead. IPL 2020: Questions Over VIVO's Sponsorship, BCCI Says No Need to Panic.

Tata Sons are in pole position according to Livemint, but companies such as Patanjali Ayurveda, Jio, Byju’s, Unacademy and Dream11 are all battling it out to be the next title sponsor of India’s premier T20 cricketing competition as all of them have submitted the expression of interest (EOI) with BCCI. It is understood that the choice will be based not only on the bid, but also the impact it will have on the brand value of the tournament. IPL 2020 Sponsorship News Update: Tata Sons Bid For Title Sponsors Alongside Byju’s, Unacademy, Dream11 & Patanjali, Say Reports.

As per brand experts, a well-established legacy firm, such as Tata Sons is likely to add more positive value and an element of surprise to the domestic tournament as opposed to start-ups, who have foreign investments and relatively low brand quality.

‘Tata Group is a legacy firm with a diverse set of interests in various categories. Considering that all companies are willing to pay upwards of ₹200 crore, the best among equals would be Tata Sons, as it is a non-controversial brand. It has heritage, a squeaky clean image and size to its advantage,’ said Harish Bijoor, brand strategy specialist and founder, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc.

‘Moreover, the 20-20 cricket league will gain a lot by Tata imagery. Between the two homegrown companies the legacy of Tata trumps Patanjali by a fairly large margin,’ Bijoor added. With the Baba Ramdev’s Ayurveda company also among the race, the yoga guru has made it clear that they will only go through if there are no other companies to step in.

IPL 2020 is scheduled to start from September 19, 2020 with the final being played on November 10, 2020. The cash-rich league will be played in UAE with stadiums in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai hosting all the games

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 17, 2020 02:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).