BCCI has lessons to learn from ICL errors

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now making inroads. This new format will take time too.”

IPL, which is slated to begin from April, has already caught much media attention due to the profile of its franchisers that varies from corporate goliaths to Bollywood stars. IPL organisers raised a whopping Rs 7,000 crore from the franchisers’ bids. The list includes GMR Holdings, which got the Delhi team for Rs 336 crore, Reliance Industries Ltd, which bagged the Mumbai team for Rs 447.6 crore, India Cements, which got the Chennai team at Rs 364 crore, UB Group, which grabbed the Bangalore team at Rs 446.4 crore, Preity Zinta, Ness Wadia, Karan Paul and Mohit Burman, who together got the Mohali team at Rs 304 crore and the trio of Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta, who got the Kolkata team at Rs 300.36 crore.

Recently, DLF bagged the exclusive title sponsorship for IPL for five years for Rs 200 crore. The players’ auction, which is supposed to be held on February 20, is predicted to be a much-hyped event with Mukesh Ambani, Vijay Mallya and Shah Rukh Khan bidding. IPL has already set the base price for each team at $3.5 million and a maximum cap of $5 million. Besides, each player has a separate price tag, which IPL has disclosed only to franchisers.

Says Farokh Balsara, national sector leader, media and entertainment practice, Ernst & Young, “IPL has the official backing of the cricket board and the current Bollywood stars. In ICL, many of the players are retired cricketers. IPL is being viewed not so much as a sports entity but more as an entertainment event. And with organisers taking a different route through franchisers, they are creating an entirely different genre.”

Another media planner, who want to remain anonymous, says, “The business model that IPL is using for promotions is new and it has managed to rope in big names of contemporary cricket. The format of IPL is similar to that of the English Premier League, and organisers have managed to generate interest as well as business opportunity by cashing in on this smart strategy.”

Planners also say that by bringing in the franchiser format, IPL organisers have put the onus of promotion of each team on different franchisees. The bid winners are now mandated to brand and market individual teams. By introducing such a concept, IPL organisers have infused competition from the teething stages.