Reports claiming BYJU's pending dues towards BCCI fake: Co-founder Divya Gokulnath

Certain reports had claimed that India’s jersey sponsor BYJU’s owed a whopping sum of INR 86.21 crore to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). But in a recent turn of events, BYJU’s co-founder Divya Gokulnath claimed that the reports stating the company’s pending dues are fake.

BYJU’s and the BCCI extended their collaboration in April this year until the conclusion of the ODI World Cup, which is set to be hosted by India in 2023. BYJU’S agreed to give the Indian board a 10% raise on their previous accord, which led to the extension of the contract. However, it later emerged that BYJU’S had not paid the BCCI INR 86.21 crore and was in danger of losing the shirt sponsor rights.

“The bizarreness of the fake news story that we have not paid our dues to the BCCI was only matched by the urgency with which ‘media’ organizations ‘reported’ it. Even in this age of post-truth and verifying-after-reporting, we expect at least the real journalists to do some basic fact checks and not get swayed by hearsay and concocted stories by vested parties. As they say, a lie travels around the world while the truth is putting its shoes on. The truth is now out with its shoes on,” Gokulnath wrote on her LinkedIn.

BCCI and BYJU yet to sign their extended deal

The comments made by the co-founder of BYJU’s were linked to a news article by The Times of India. The new deal between BCCI and BYJU’s is being prepared, according to sources, although it hasn’t yet been signed. The pending money is for the number of games that India has played after the deal ended. As a result, the money owed can only be paid when the deal is executed.

Officials from the BCCI had been whining about how unfair and erroneous press disclosures have hurt their own interests. The cricket board is in the know of a bank guarantee from BYJU’s that much surpasses the pending sum as reported in the media, according to top BCCI sources who confirmed to TOI that BYJU’s had cleared all dues in compliance with the contract in place.