Team News Riveting
The home-grown FMCG company Patanjali has become first brand in the country to openly announce bidding for the title sponsorship of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020).
“We are considering the IPL title sponsorship for this year, since we want to give the Patanjali brand a global marketing platform,” Patanjali spokesperson SK Tijarawala told a leading newspaper, adding Patanjali is considering making a proposal to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The Baba Ramdev-led Patanjali Ayurved, which sells a range of grocery products including toothpaste, honey and noodles in the ayurveda and natural products space, is reported to be in the process of reaching out to BCCI to formally submit its interest. It is likely to bet for the team that Chinese company Vivo quit.
While BCCI is scrambling to find a new sponsor after Vivo’s sudden exit at short notice, several names including Jio, Amazon, the Tata group, Dream11, Adani group and education start-up Byjus have been doing the rounds as potential candidates for the IPL sponsorship title.
Because of the Anti-China sentiment prevailing in the country, BCCI had to suspend its relationship with Vivo. BCCI’s other sponsors funded by the Chinese companies are also under the scanner. Amid such a situation, a home-grown staunch nationalistic brand like Patanjali fits the bill completely.
Also the brand from last few quarters has been losing ground in large categories like biscuits and noodles, owing to trade disruptions and allegedly inconsistent quality from time to time. Riding on a high-visibility property like IPL, Patanjali can make return of sorts, said Industry experts.
