It goes without saying that cricket is by far the most popular sport in India. Not only that, but the IPL (Indian Premier League) is the most competitive and most fun cricket tournament in the world. This sport has a rich history in this country. India’s national team is also among the most successful teams in the world, which makes sense.
As you know, the IPL is a Twenty20 format tournament. This year’s host will be the United Arab Emirates and there will be 8 participants. Apart from the start date, the IPL also changed its sponsor, which is a topic that we wanted to discuss. We’re going to give you some pieces of advice when it comes to betting on the tournament, as well. After all, betting on cricket is a big thing for Indian people.
IPL Betting is On
The good news is that IPL betting is still on. No changes or restrictions have been made. There are thousands of bookies where you can wager your money. But, it is worth knowing that the odds are not fixed.
So, we would advise you to do some research and find the bookies with the best odds and bonuses. We can narrow your research down by suggesting you to check out some online bookies. They have numerous great features and advantages over the land-based ones. Great welcome bonuses, regular promotions, and better odds are some of them.
There are several top-rated online bookies which offer all of the features that we mentioned above. Plus, they have the best IPL betting odds, which is why it’s worth checking them out. These sites can provide you with a massive boost on your potential winnings.
Furthermore, online bookies are extremely secure. They use military-grade encryption software to make sure that no scammers gain access to their site. Many currencies and payment methods are also accepted and betting online are far more efficient than walking to a land-based bookie.
The Sponsor Conflict
The IPL signed a 5-year contract with Vivo in 2018. Vivo is a Chinese tech company that paid $300 million to sponsor the tournament. The reason for that is because there was a spike in tensions recently at the Indian-Chinese border. They disputed the Himalayan Border in Ladakh.
Without giving any specific reasons, the Board of Control for Cricket in India stated that it decided to suspend the partnership with Vivo, a decision which was mutually agreed. Because the situation was pretty tense, this was the only logical step to make. People from India went as far as burning Chinese flags and the government has even banned more than 50 Chinese apps.
The battle for the new sponsorship was led between Paytm and Dream11, but in the end, Dream11 secured the deal. This company is a fantasy sports platform based in India. It allows its users to play fantasy cricket, hockey, football, basketball, and kabaddi. Although the sponsorship has been signed for just 1 year, this was a massive win for Dream11.
But, even Dream11 faced some backlash by the fans. Many of them claimed that this company is associated with Chinese investors, which is why they said that placing them as the new sponsor was actually a mistake.
But, the IPL title sponsor responded to this backlash and said that Dream11 is almost entirely owned by Indians. They also stated that only 1 investor has Chinese origins, but they have a minority stake. That means that they have no decision-making power and they assured the fans that this is not something that they should worry about.
Elsewhere, Dream11 became the first sports-based company to sponsor the IPL, which is a fact that they are proud of. A spokesperson for the company said that it will be a treat for fans to see the collaboration of one of the biggest Indian home-grown sports brands.
