In April 2015, the contrast could not have been sharper. On the one hand, there was the Indian Premier League, where Chris Gayle was trying to blast Trent Boult and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar in front of a raucous Bangalore crowd. And on the other, his West Indies teammates – Jerome Taylor, Kemar Roach and Jason Holder – were trying to bowl out Alastair Cook’s England in Antigua on a wicket that was offering pace and movement.
The first question that came to mind was: Should Gayle not have been there? And Darren Sammy?
Ten years down the line, and brand IPL has only added more meat and muscle. Sunil Narine, arguably one of the greatest IPL players ever, is yet again the star for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). And yet, he has consistently refused to play for the West Indies in international T20 cricket. Despite being in red-hot form, Narine has turned down the offer to play in the World Cup, which starts a week from now. Add in also that the West Indies have picked a team to get ready for the tournament leaving out the players involved in the IPL. In sum, national duty is to an extent considered secondary to the IPL, proof of what the league has become over a period of time.
Is brand IPL bigger than even the cricket World Cup? Is it the best property global cricket has seen? While we don’t have definitive answers to these questions, one thing is certain. The IPL brand continues to be robust despite all the controversies and challenges. Fans continue to support the format and have come out in big numbers braving the heat. It has garnered enough strength as a standalone brand, and as Sourav Ganguly commented, “Irrespective of what India does, fans will surely come out to watch the IPL. This tournament has become staple for the Indian middle classes in April-May of every year.”
So what is it about the IPL that makes it tick? Is it still the presence of Shah Rukh Khan at the Eden Gardens, supported, more often than not, by his Bollywood entourage? Is it the glitzy opening ceremony where the best of Bollywood is brought in to entertain fans? Is it about the cheerleaders whose gyrations continue to titillate Indian youth? Finally, is it about the cricket, which is intense and exhilarating in most IPL games?
Despite criticisms from former and current players, who have expressed their reservations against the Impact Player Rule, IPL chairman Arun Dhumal is supportive of it@shamik100✍️ #ArunDhumalhttps://t.co/FDE3mnuiMF
— RevSportz (@RevSportz) May 25, 2024
Let’s pose these questions a little differently. Imagine Shah Rukh Khan coming out to support a Ranji Trophy team. Or for that matter, Anushka Sharma being present regularly to watch Virat Kohli ply his trade for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy. Would they be able to draw thousands to the stadium, or is it something about the IPL brand that has captured people’s imagination?
The answer is a no-brainer. It is the heady mix of entertainment and cricket that makes the IPL what it is. It caters to a larger constituency of the Indian populace than any other sporting event, and that’s what explains its success despite the many scandals which have impacted its credibility. And here, cricket plays a huge part. Unless the IPL was a serious cricket competition, it would never have been able to capture the fancy of the fans.
Faf Du Plessis, for example, plays the IPL with more intensity than any other competition. His batting for RCB demonstrates the effort involved, and this is where the IPL has ticked many boxes. Its core, serious cricket, has continued unabated and despite all the distractions surrounding it, the heart of the matter is undisturbed.
As the IPL comes to a close tonight with yet another sold-out blockbuster in Chennai, it is the this that we celebrate – India’s only global sports brand.
Also Read: Ahead of IPL final, Shreyas Iyer revisits tough period