The inaugural session of the ISPL is scheduled to kick off in Mumbai on March 6. In this interview to Alokananda Chakraborty, ISPL commissioner Suraj Samat talks about the preparations and expectations from the new T10 series.
What has been the advertiser/broadcaster interest in ISPL so far?
We are looking to showcase the event both on digital and TV. We are in talks with some major national sports channels but have not tied up with anyone yet; we hope to get there by the month end. Once the co-owners are tied up and there is no conflict, we will invite the sponsors to come in.
What sort of revenues do you hope the league will generate in the first year?
With all the sponsorships etc in place we anticipate the league will generate Rs 25-30 crore in its first year.
From a co-ownership point of view the incidental value each owner will get is far higher than what he will invest because the stars are the co-owners they are not just endorsers they are part or co-owners of each team.
What made you confident that tennis ball cricket can be elevated to a stadium sport?
Every year 40-50 million children from different parts of the country aspire to play for India. Cricket is a religion here in India and people want to somehow get into the mainstream under BCCI. Unfortunately, very few reach there.
The thing is, most people start playing cricket with tennis ball because that doesn’t require a lot of gear plus there is the advantage of zero injury.
The kind of finances required for someone to come to the mainstream is far more than what a tennis ball player would need. And it actually activates the masses completely. The thought came from there.
There is a vacuum, we just have to give the right platform, a professional set up where people from the grassroots can come and showcase their talent and elevate their game.
What else you do to encourage participation from aspiring cricketers?
We have identified entertainment along with cricket and made it a package right from the registration process itself. We have an audition process just like Indian Idol. Every applicant gets a golden ticket. Then, he comes for trials and if he gets selected in a city he gets a green ticket and he goes to Mumbai. If he is good enough and gets selected he gets a blue ticket and enters the 350-people circle where he will be selected in an auction.
We have created the screening set up with top selectors in India and each have a team of 18 people with them who are doing the screening all over the country right now and green ticket allotments have started.
Won’t all this razzmatazz kill the game?
We want to give a stage to amateur cricket. We have cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar who will serve as ISPL’s core committee member, providing advice on the new T-10 cricket league format. So of course not, entertainment will not kill the game and we will ensure cricket takes the driving seat.
See, tennis ball cricket is more about power than timing; there is a difference between season ball and tennis ball. Also, predominantly BCCI cannot do tennis ball cricket because their constitution restricts them to leather ball. Their forte is not amateur cricket.
Having said that, ultimately it is the gentleman’s game which has been played for years and every format has its own audience and advertiser interest.