Will the league expand and in which direction brand building and media rights head are some of the big questions, writes Amrit Mathur
The IPL is on a great wicket because it’s win-win for BCCI, teams and players – the major stakeholders. Because of the league, BCCI is a global cricket superpower, franchises are swimming in cash and the players never had it so good.
Defending champions KKR will take on RCB in IPL opener at the Eden Gardens on Saturday. (PTI)
So, the big question: Where does IPL go from here?
The cricket: The 74-match IPL could be stretched to 96 because the market/broadcasters/ sponsors see a commercial upside. The flip side is that excess supply could cause consumer fatigue leading to declining interest, lower viewership and sponsor apathy.
A longer IPL would also run into scheduling issues with competing leagues, Major League Cricket and The Hundred, bilateral cricket and ICC events. However, there is scope to exploit the September window for a short Champions League, or a junior IPL, some sort of a talent pipeline, a feeder system for the main league. For that, IPL teams would have to step up investment in talent scouting systems to discover fresh talent and set up a network of cricket academies.
A related issue is whether IPL needs innovation, a fresh coat of paint. Perhaps yes, for the sake of optics. Hopefully the changes respect what’s working and keep IPL loyal to cricket. The league doesn’t need to do anything funky or gimmicky. It’s cool the way it is.
IPL should dump the Impact Player (IP) rule because it a) devalues allrounders b) violates cricket’s 11 vs 11 core and c) dumbs down cricket by eliminating the challenge anticipating conditions. The IP option is an unnecessary lifeline thrown to someone who messed up.
Another urgent reform is to address the bat/ball imbalance. Team scores of 250 are boring because sport needs a contest and close finishes. If the objective is to have more six hits, then introduce a rule which gives batters a free hit in every Powerplay over.
Business of teams/brand
IPL’s risk-free business and guaranteed profits have enabled teams to flex their economic muscle. Lately, they are on a massive acquisition spree, aggressively buying out any cricket property available in the market. Like adventurous trading companies of the past who carved out spheres of influence across the globe, IPL teams have conquered various national leagues, The Hundred being the latest example.
The intent clearly is to have a worldwide footprint to expand the brand, create a global fan base, encourage player loyalty and fully utilise its management and support staff manpower. IPL teams are no different from MNCs looking for new markets to spread their business.
Within India, teams will increase their involvement and embed themselves in the cricket ecosystem. Talent scouting will be a priority, also high performance centres/academies to support their players. In the future, teams could look to construct stadiums, their ‘homes’, to exploit various business opportunities.
As the IPL business is a long-term brand valuation game (in contrast to balance sheet results) teams will strengthen fan connect initiatives, focus on more active engagement and create a universe of fan loyalty and brand identity. To do this, there will be greater social media outreach, more digital content and vigorous community engagement through CSR activities.
Teams are also looking at non-cricket sports assets to build a business network by leveraging their IPL brand.
The owners
Team owners are the new cricket czars, the power centres holding enormous influence because of their resources. But they must reset management systems by striking the right balance between control and oversight on one side and giving decision making freedom to trusted professional managers.
The players
They are the beneficiaries as a global league circuit opens attractive employment opportunities, making the annual national retainer contracts appear harsh, almost like hard labour. In the future, players will reject national contracts and opt for deals with teams that provide multiple opportunities through the year. But this arrangement has challenges because different leagues have different rules, and players are allocated to teams through auctions or drafts, not through pre-existing signings.
Likely scenario
At present, every market indicator points to IPL’s continued growth and bigger valuation in the future. Yet, as in every business, risks are involved, googlies that can surprise the set batter. The main thing is the likely media rights value post 2027. The last television/digital deal brought IPL approximately ₹10,000 crore annually. A lot depends on whether the next cycle sees a huge spike, or a modest jump with the market correcting itself.
The other game-changing challenge is Saudi’s role/interest/intent to step on to the pitch. If they decide to play, backed by limitless resources, then cricket could have a competing, alternate ecosystem.
And finally, the big, big question: Will the policy of ‘no Indian in a foreign league’ be relaxed?
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