IPL 2020 will go ahead this year after the governing council were given official permission by the Indian government to host the tournament in UAE. However, with one major issue sorted out, BCCI has a number of other off-field problems to deal with. After Vivo exited as the main sponsor of the cash-rich league, the Hotstar-Jio TV deal for live streaming of the latest edition has also been called off. IPL 2020: BCCI & VIVO Suspend Title Sponsor Association for Upcoming Season in UAE.

‘In March negotiations regarding streaming of live IPL matches on Jio TV through Hotstar were still on, but the parties had not come to an agreement. The deal is supposedly off now. However, you would not know until last minute, anything can happen,’ an expert was quoted as saying by India.com. VIVO Exit As Indian Premier League Sponsor Not a Financial Crisis, Says BCCI President Sourav Ganguly.

‘Because there is no deal with Jio this year, the reach will come down for Hotstar. While there would be a definite push given by Hotstar for their subscription numbers and many would have got added to the platform during this COVID situation, it will still definitely be nowhere near what they would have got from the Jio tie up,’ Gopa Kumar COO, Isobar India said while discussing the effects of the deal being called off.

IPL 2020 is set to be played in UAE from September 19 onwards. This will be the third time that the competition will be played outside India and it will be the second time UAE will host the tournament. In 2014, each franchise played their first five matches if that edition in the United Araba Emirates, with the remainder of the league being played in India.

Stadiums in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai will host all the games in IPL 2020 but the matches will be played behind closed doors to maintain the social distancing protocols amid coronavirus pandemic. Franchises have already started their preparations for the upcoming season and are soon to leave for UAE.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 13, 2020 05:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).