Indian Premier League Incorporated - Big players, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Adam-Richard-Griffith-c41953 Money and even Bigger controversies
Since its first successful season in 2008, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has evolved into something greater than just a cricket event.
Today the league stands out as world’s sixth most valuable sporting event with an estimated brand value of USD 4 billion. With corporate tycoons, Indian politicians, international cricketers and the more famous Bollywood celebrities, all acting as the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Main-c73911
runners of the event, the IPL has earned a worldwide following and a dedicated viewership.
Despite its hype and unprecedented success, near the end of its third season in 2010, the event found itself surrounded by controversies and corruption, naturally, given the massive fiscal gains involved.
For market leaders such as Nokia, Emirates, Sony, the Reliance group, and many more, IPL was seen as a flourishing investment ground, and so it was.
Videocon Group http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Venugopal-c95021 Dhoot quoted that “IPL is a very good branding opportunity. If the average viewership per match touches 20 crore, then the sponsorship cost is justified”.
Not only did the corporate giants multiply investments, but many medium sized corporations too benefited from the event. Bangalore’s United Breweries made use of the IPL as a promotional tool since advertisement for their alcohol products was banned on national
television.
Another aspect to the league’s ever famous success came with the people involved in it. Not only did the cricketers from around the globe brought in the masses, the celebrities added the required glitz and glamour to the event.
India’s household actor, Shah Rukh http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Khan-c71319, the nation’s sweetheart Preity Zinta, and many other stars including the alluring cheerleaders, all elevated the IPL to a whole new level.
However, increasing success also brought trouble. This is due to the fact that whenever there are huge amounts of money involved, corruption and controversies seem to follow quite closely.
In 2010, by the end of IPL’s third season, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Modi-c76470 denied all allegations.
The controversies sparked a political debacle when one of the minister’s was asked to give up his post as a result of his involvement in the scam.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Member of Parliament was quoted as saying, “a lot of people, including people in the government, are neck deep in this scam. The IPL has turned out to be a huge scam. I think the worst ever, the biggest ever in this country”.
While Sharad Yadav, an opposition party’s member called the IPL “a den of thieves”.
As political involvement became more eminent in the IPL, numerous government agencies intervened.
As a result, politicians liked http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sharadchandra-Govindrao-Pawar-c89751, the agriculture minister, were accused of improperly using their official powers to influence IPL bids. One minister was even accused of diverting Air India’s passenger plane for the use of IPL players.
The IPL has recently ended its fourth successful season. Despite immense allegations and trials, the event still holds massive fan following.
Events like the IPL have given the sport of cricket a newer feel with more appreciation and awareness.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750, being a nation of cricket fanatics, adds a positive marketing and corporate aspect to the event. The league has surely served its purpose, but at the same time, controversies and trials revolving around it may give the gentlemen’s sport of cricket
a rougher name.
Tags: