The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 has officially begun its countdown. After all 8 franchises shared their list of retained and released players, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) set the auction date on February 18. One aspect of the season in terms of finances, the title sponsorship, however, is still in the air.

China-based smartphone brand, VIVO, acquired the title sponsorship rights for the T20 league starting 2018 for INR 440 crore per year for five seasons. The political fallout between India and China on the Galwan valley border, however, resulted in the rise of anti-China sentiments in the country.

VIVO, a China-based smartphone brand, also came in the line of fire and decided to pull out of sponsorship for the 2020 season, putting the existing contract with the BCCI on a 'pause'.

Fantasy sports platform, Dream11, replaced VIVO as the title sponsor for Season 13 but paid only INR 222 crore which is half the sum VIVO had agreed on.

With the IPL 2021 preparations underway, there's no clarity over the sponsorship situation. As per a report in Cricbuzz, the BCCI is open to the return of VIVO as the title sponsor for the 14th edition of the league as well as the coming seasons, as iterated in the contract.

The BCCI has reportedly given Dream11 an opportunity to bid a higher amount for the 2021 and the forthcoming seasons last year but the fantasy sports platform wasn't keen to go much beyond the sum it had offered for the 2020 season.

As things stand at present, the board is still on the lookout for a sponsor, a delay in which could see the auction, set to take place on February 18, being held without a title sponsor.

VIVO's return potentially depends on how political relations between India and China in the coming months. Given the scenario at present, the Chinese mobile maker's return looks a lot tricky.

The 2021 IPL player auction will be held on February 18 in Chennai, the league announced with a tweet on Wednesday. The announcement comes after the IPL Governing Council meeting on January 6, where it was decided that the 2021 edition of the tournament would remain an eight-team event.

Tags :IPL 2021IPL 2021 auction