The most successful Twenty20 cricket league
The teams in the league represent different regions and cities, and are organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Every season kicks off with auctions among its various team franchises and bidding across the board for domestic and international players.The Chennai Super Kings won the IPL in 2021 against the Kolkata Knight Riders, winning 200 million Indian rupees as prize money along the way. After suspending the league due to COVID infections among players in May 2021, the tournament was relocated to the United Arab Emirates to be completed in September that year, with the final held at the Dubai International stadium. Harshal Patel from the Royal Challengers Bangalore was awarded the purple cap for the bowler with the most wickets. Ruturaj Gaikwad on the other hand, was the youngest player to win the orange cap for the most runs scored.
Success by association and sponsorship
Despite its many controversies over the years, the IPL was most definitely a brand worth being associated with. Sponsorship drives one of the largest parts of its income, followed by broadcasting rights and ticket sales. The league was broadcast by Disney+ Hotstar until 2022, after which all major TVoD competitors are expected to bid for the 2023-2027 cycle.DLF started the league as its title sponsor for the first five years at two billion rupees, followed by Pepsi. Following the match-fixing scandal in 2013, Chinese phone maker Vivo replaced the beverage giant to clinch title sponsorship from 2016. In 2020, Vivo’s contract was suspended due to Indo-China tensions and Dream 11, an Indian fantasy sports platform, acquired the title at 2.22 billion rupees that year. With Vivo keen to transfer title rights to another bidder in 2022 after sustaining heavy public backlash, the Tata Group agreed to pay about 6.7 billion rupees for the next two years. As one of the largest and most reliable businesses worldwide, the conglomerate looks to promote the sport across political borders.
A win-win for advertisers and viewers alike
Viewership for the league plays a huge role in the success of advertising and driving consumer sales. This is bolstered by the frenzy of supporting favorites and rooting for specific players that can only be compared to the Superbowl in the United States.Television advertising saw a significant increase in the number of brands and categories over the years. This increase was proportionate to the rise in viewership. The tournament was described as a lucrative business opportunity, symbiotically contributing to the success of the T20 franchise cricket format and brands associated with it. An IPL for women is set to launch, with three of six teams formed for its inaugural season planned for 2023.
