27 October,2015 08:33 AM IST | | Harit N Joshi
Anurag Thakur, the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) admitted that Brand IPL took a beating due to corruption issues which were exposed in 2013
BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur at a promotional event yesterday
Anurag Thakur, the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) admitted that Brand IPL took a beating due to corruption issues which were exposed in 2013.
BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur at a promotional event yesterday. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
"As far as the branding is concerned, I personally feel yes, we took a hit. In the last couple of years, we have struggled. But we have brought in reforms in the last few months. That has paid (off)," Thakur said at the announcement of IPL's new title sponsor, Vivo, yesterday.
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Welcome, Vivo
"When we were looking for a new sponsor, there was not just one. We had four lined up to bid for the title sponsorship and I am glad that Vivo came on board.
They wanted to be partners for the next seven to 12 years but we had the option to go for only two years. As far as brand is concerned, cricket is still a popular game and IPL still remains one of the strongest brands," he added.
IPL received a major setback when PepsiCo decided to end its partnership with BCCI recently.
Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar, now a television commentator, who was present at the event, said: "I don't go by TRPs and ratings. I have a simple formula to gauge the popularity. I go by the number of calls I get requesting for tickets."
