Author: Ashok Namboodiri

Ashok Namboodiri The 2023-27 broadcast-rights bidding cycle for the IPL saw a 2.96X jump, led by the unbundling of TV and digital rights. The rights now stand at a whopping USD 6.2 Bn with per-match rights second only to the NFL. Less than two decades after the inception of the league, will we continue to see appreciation in the rights, or will they plateau going forward? What are the inhibiting factors and what can the BCCI do to unlock further value? With the unbundling of TV and digital rights already done, there are fewer structural levers left to exploit. On…

MS Dhoni (MSD) recently trademarked the “Captain Cool” sobriquet, a term that equates closely with his unflappable style of captaincy under pressure. This itself is not unique given that other sports people have often trademarked phrases for commercial use. “One 8” by Virat Kohli, “CR7” by Cristiano Ronaldo and “Sach Master Blaster” by Sachin Tendulkar are the more popular ones. What got me thinking a few years ago was his other nickname, the one bequeathed to him by his fans in Tamil Nadu and one that needs no copyrighting … we are talking about “Thala”, meaning leader. I was leading…

We all know Dubai for its skyscrapers, steel and concrete infrastructure and all the trappings of a modern metropolis. In this month of August 2025 though, the city launched a unique program focussed on community wellness. It is not a one-off promotional event; rather it has the makings of a movement that could truly democratise urban health and fitness and one that could serve as a template for both vertical and horizontal scale-up. Welcome to the Dubai Mallathon – a month-long city program featuring nine malls wherein the public can participate in walking and running in the most premium…

Ashok Namboodiri Much has been written about the famous win that India pulled off in the last Test of the recent Andersen-Tendulkar series. Many more write-ups are still in the making. And for very good reason. The cricket eco-system has been transformed with the advent of data analytics, high flying strategies and scientific management of workload. The one thing that remains intact though are the moments of raw, unfiltered courage when a cricketer turns up bloodied and bruised to do duty in an arm sling, bone cast or sometimes the jaw strapped in a bandage. The recent India-England series saw…

Ashok Namboodiri in Dubai When the final ball was bowled at The Oval and the scoreboard blinked “Match Drawn, Series Levelled 2-2”, it wasn’t just the team that breathed a collective sigh of relief; it was a nation. India had battled, clawed, and held its nerve on English soil, without pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. But amid the swirl of strategy, scoreboard pressure, and overcast English skies, one name emerged as the undeniable pulse of India’s fightback: Mohammed Siraj – Player of the Match with nine wickets to his credit! More than just a stand-in, more than just a supporting act,…

“Being an ardent tennis fan for decades, I was among the staunch disbelievers in padel… I have even mocked my friends who started playing padel, saying, ‘you’ve left the pure sport and moved to the dark side’… until I played it myself and absolutely loved it! Now I hardly get to play tennis, and I’m not regretting it one bit!” This candid confession from Zafar, a Dubai-based former tennis devotee encapsulates the city’s collective pivot toward padel — a sport that has swiftly transitioned from niche pastime to mainstream obsession. Across the globe, a quiet revolution is reshaping how the…

On 14th of June, I went and watched Ethan Hunt’s final salvo, soon after watching Temba Bavuma lift the mace. And am still reeling from the after effects…read on. In Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, Tom Cruise runs, jumps, flies, and glares his way through 147 implausible action sequences, three existential crises, and at least one exploding helicopter that felt like it was sponsored by Michael Bay’s leftover budget. The film opens with Hunt, now seemingly indestructible and possibly fueled by protein bars and VFX, stealing a nuclear code hidden inside a Fabergé egg that’s lodged inside a moving train…

Over the years, one curious trend has emerged in the Indian Premier League (IPL): teams that dominate the points table often find themselves languishing near the bottom of the Fair Play Award standings, and vice versa. The IPL Fair Play Award, given to the team that best upholds the spirit of the game, has frequently been won by teams that don’t necessarily win the championship or even qualify for the playoffs. This recurring pattern raises an important question: Is there an inverse relationship between competitiveness and fair play in the IPL or is it merely a coincidence? The Fair Play…

When Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) launched their Kannada Instagram page ahead of IPL 2025, few expected it to spark such a personal revolution for 15-year-old Darshan Bhat, a cricket-crazy teenager from Shivajinagar, a vibrant old neighborhood in Bengaluru. Darshan, the son of a BMTC bus driver and a Kannada medium school student, always felt a deep connection with RCB. But like many young fans from non-English backgrounds, he struggled to fully engage with RCB’s official content online. “Aamele ella English dalli irutte sir… nanage artha agalla. Adakke RCB news nanna friend hatra kelbeku,” he says with a grin. (“Everything used…

Just a day ago, the New York Liberty—one of the marquee franchises in the WNBA—achieved a capital raise that sent shockwaves through the world of professional sports. Valued at a stunning $450 million, Liberty isn’t just making headlines—they’re making history. And for women’s sports, that number is more than a valuation; it’s validation. Across the globe, valuations in women’s sports are reaching unprecedented heights. Angel City FC of the NWSL now boasts a valuation close to $200 million, and Chelsea FC’s women’s team is attracting independent investor interest. Liberty’s $450 million valuation, however, has set a new benchmark—and sent a…