DEHRADUN: Yoga guru Swami Ramdev has said that his Patanjali Ayurvedic Limited will step in for the Indian Premier League (IPL) title sponsorship bid if other Indian companies do not come forward.
"We have received encouragement from many quarters for sponsorship of the IPL. Patanjali will only come to the forefront (for IPL title sponsorship) if other Indian corporate houses don’t make a bid. Things regarding this will be clarified soon," said Ramdev.
He also added that no Chinese firm should be allowed to dominate the Indian market.
"The country and the whole of the world has seen evil intentions of China. We should be focusing on opting swadeshi and indigenous products as we are no longer naive in various fields. We have the capacity to compete globally," added the Yoga Guru.
Ramdev said there is no dearth of Indian firms and many have been associated with international cricket and IPL.
“Throughout the cricket history, we have seen various Indian companies associated with our cricket team. Now Indians are advocating 'vocal for local' and we should go for that," said Ramdev.
Haridwar-based Patanjali group, which consists of FMCG business and Ayurvedic medicines as key components, has an estimated annual turnover of around Rs 10,500 crores had reported a revenue of Rs 8,329 crore in FY 2018-19.
BCCI has invited expression of interest for the title sponsorship of IPL season 2020, which will be played in the United Arab Emirates. The final bid deadline is August 18, according to the IPL T-20 official website.
Chinese firm Vivo signed a five-year sponsorship deal with the BCCI at the cost of Rs 440 crore per year, which has been suspended in the wake of India-China clash at Galwan Valley.