Bigger, fatter IPL

The figures are mind-boggling. No, one is not talking about scores by a team, or batting and bowling figures in the Indian Premier League (IPL). It's about the way the shopping spree took place for two new IPL teams as if it was time for the explosion before Diwali.

Amid the ICC World T20 in the United Arab Emirates, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) was busy raking in more funds, as the new bidders threw in their offers.

That the RPSG Group, headed by well-known industrialist RP Sanjeev Goenka, was ready to fork out Rs 7,090 crores took the world by surprise. A close second was the CVC Capital Partners, winning the second bid at Rs 5,625 crores.

The RPSG Goenka group, which showed big money in its tender bid to the BCCI, had come with its homework done well. They bid for two new cities, Ahmedabad and Lucknow. As their bid was the highest, they were given the right to choose which city they wanted.

Many are still wondering why they chose Lucknow over Ahmedabad which boasts of a brand-new sports complex at the Motera where the main cricket stadium has been renamed as Narendra Modi Stadium. Everyone knows the new stadium is truly world-class.

The seating capacity, architecture and 360-degree viewing for spectators is a sheer delight. Yet, to choose Lucknow seems to be a masterstroke from the RPSG. Given the importance of Uttar Pradesh in India, not just in national politics but also as a state which is trying to attract more investors, the RPSG group got it right.

Not many may have understood the dynamics too well. For old-timers, Lucknow is a city of old charm. The city has undergone a sea-change and part of it is a brand-new cricket stadium which is also at a good location. It has all the modern facilities, unlike the old KD Singh Babu Stadium.

As each IPL team will get to host plenty of home matches, the RPSG Group could well be in a position to host matches not just in Lucknow but also in Kanpur. The distance between the two cities is approximately 80 km and the travel time is around an hour. One should not forget that Kanpur has been a Test cricket centre for ages.

The new team will possibly host matches in two cities in the same state. This is not just a luxury but also a great brand building in a state which has done well overall for Indian sports. More details of what the new team will be planning as a Lucknow franchise will emerge in the coming months. Surely, this is a masterstroke. Then again, these days the travel time between Delhi and Lucknow has also shrunk because of the new, fast highway. All this must have gone into thinking before they made the final decision to pick Lucknow as their home base.

For those who have followed the IPL, and the way it attracts not just fans but also businesses, the CVC Capital Partners who will own the team in Ahmedabad are also well-versed with global sports. As a world leader in private equity, and having been involved in partnerships with La Liga, Formula One and MotoGP, they know what sports is.

These are indeed very different teams that have come in as big players in the IPL theatre. When the initial set of franchises came into existence in the IPL in 2008, they were thought to be raw. They did not possess the same type of business acumen.

If the IPL has been a learning curve, it is not just in terms of cricket. The world of sports looks at the business model of the IPL with great admiration. As a brand, the IPL has grown to such great heights; it has survived the global economic depression in 2009 and also two cricket seasons during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Deep down, there is a belief among all team owners that this sport, or sporting business, will survive, come what may. The dates of the tournament are usually in summer but after the Bio Bubble breach in India in 2021, the event was halted. On resumption, the UAE again played hosts with outstanding results.

The focus is now on the 2022 season, which will be bigger, fatter and bulging in many ways. There will be more matches, which means the ever-hungry spectators will get to watch more. Gone are the days when viewing IPL provided thrill only when you sat inside the huge arenas.

Thanks to the pandemic, viewing sports has become even more different with television, smartphones, tablets and bigger screens. When the IPL first shaped up in 2008, there was smirk and sarcasm from the media abroad, led by England and Australia. Today, these two nations crave to be part of the IPL and their players wait like hungry kids waiting for the dessert, as the player auctions have become so lucrative.

With two more teams coming into the fray after making huge bids, which were unheard of in Indian sport, there will be employment generation. Creating an IPL team means not just hiring players, coaches, physios, support staff and so on. There is a whole economy of sorts involved with each team which employs ground staff to those in charge of running the teams.

This is where one will watch the two new franchises with great interest. Over the years, one has seen how the popularity of the IPL has grown. Loyalties in the IPL have been sharp. Irrespective of where a player comes from, when he joins a team, the state starts romancing with him. Two prime examples of it are how Chennai Super Kings fans dote MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina. The Mumbai Indian team, too, has seen love affairs blossom between the players and their fans.

So, what happens with the two new teams?

Obviously, there is going to be a lot of churning. Before the 2022 IPL season, one expects larger auctions to take place, players changing teams and even new captains being hired.

Today, the popularity of the IPL in England and Australia also soars. Their players, coaches and so many more people in various branches crave to be part of the IPL circus. Way back in the mid-1970s, when Kerry Packer began the WSC (World Series Cricket) in Australia, and cricket was played in coloured clothes, it was laughed at. They called it pyjama cricket!

In 2008, when the IPL player auctions first took place, there was sarcasm. None other than Late Peter Roebuck, a respected cricket writer and former Somerset County captain, described the auction like cattle being bought. Today, none talks of cattle being bought but best buys wherein the player can justify the mind-boggling sums he is bought for.

Many countries have come up with their own T20 leagues on the lines of the IPL. Yet, none has been as fat and fancy as the IPL, which attracts like a giant magnet. It provides sheen and lustre, it is about devilry, it is also about succeeding under pressure conditions. The ICC World T20 has struggled to be held on time, not the IPL.

Flip through the history of the IPL, even when general elections took place in India in 2009, 2014 and 2019, the tournament dates were adjusted suitably. The tournament was even shifted to South Africa in 2009. Now, UAE — with three centres in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah — is the best alternate host. There are assembly elections due in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh in 2022. Be sure, the IPL will have no problem in getting its dates right as nothing can stop this T20 slam-bang stuff.

Those who cried T20 will kill cricket have gone silent. Each format of cricket is alive and kicking. T20 is played all over the world and Test cricket has maintained its pristine status as before. If anything, the rise of the IPL has shown that cricket in the shortest form is easy to understand even for the layman.

To be sure, the induction of two new franchises also means a big income for the BCCI. How well the IPL is run is not the question. Each IPL team is managed professionally, no doubting that. There is also no doubt that IPL, as a whole, is run with precision. And that is what has made more businessmen come forward. Calculations on the new team's real worth (projections) would have been already made.

If the IPL still baffles you, wait for the 2022 season to roll. Did someone say seeing is believing?

Views expressed are personal