Chinese Electronics Giant Breaks Political Shackles With IPL Deal

Chinese consumer electronics giant TCL has sealed a sleeve sponsorship deal with IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of the upcoming season.

This is a rather brave deal as it has arrived in a period where anti-China sentiments are rife in India, following political tensions, and has seen Vivo exit this season’s IPL sponsorship. It has since been replaced by fantasy sports platform Dream11, which had to convince the BCCI of its homegrown identity by suggesting that Tencent was only a minority shareholder for the platform.

This is TCL’s second dive into the IPL, following its sponsorship with Delhi Capitals last season,  and the key stakeholders are rather excited about the partnership.

Mike Chen, general manager, TCL India, said, “Sunrisers Hyderabad is a promising team which has shown an upward trend in cricketing success and popularity among its huge fan base. Leveraging the team’s impressive and fast-growing reach, TCL will be able to expand visibility and solidify its leadership position across the country. More importantly, the strategic partnership gives us yet another chance to promote sports across the country by tapping into the pan-India passion for cricket.”

K. Shanmugham, CEO, Sunrisers Hyderabad, added, “We are very excited to partner TCL for the forthcoming season of the Indian Premier League. TCL is an eminent brand and we see an incredibly strong alignment with them. With our partnership, we look forward to creating great cricket moments for fans and putting up a solid show like every year.”

If the head of an IPL team can put faraway political skirmishes behind him, maybe this represents a thawing of the societal frostiness between the two countries. Or will another backlash ensue…