Cricket’s T20 Champions League signs Nokia as title sponsor

Mobile phone company Nokia have agreed a deal to become the new title sponsor of cricket’s Champions League Twenty20 tournament, which begins on September 19 later this year.

Sundar Raman, CEO of Indian Premier League and Champions League T20 announced the news on Twitter, saying: “Nokia signs up as title sponsor of Champions League Twenty20.”

The news comes as a welcome boost for the Champions League, which suffered a major blow last month when previous sponsor ended its three-year deal worth $40 million after just two years, citing low viewership of the tournament as their reasoning for opting out of an extension.

Tournament broadcaster ESPN-Star, which reportedly paid a billion dollars for 10-year media rights for the tournament, confirmed AirTel had pulled out.

“Airtel had other brand investments to make and it was not possible for them to pump money into the Champions League,” Sanjay Kailash, the executive vice-president for sales and new media at ESPN-Star said.