DLF IPL- Reforming Indian Cricket

It’s a historical Sunday today.

DLF IPL final between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals; and definitely cricket will win.

Possibly all viewership records till date for sports in India will be broken in a few hours time. DLF IPL had been a tremendous success and this legacy is all set to continue for years. IPL has definitely popularized domestic cricket. Cricket in India had been growing vertically, with a limited number of stars having FAN base and media coverage, whoever achieved stardom in international cricket. Before IPL domestic level cricketers hadn’t much recognition. Thanks to IPL that we can now identify and recognize more of our cricketers. IPL has hence popularized cricket horizontally. Now media will have a good interest in domestic tournaments, where our newly emerged IPL stars will be performing. Next sessions NKP SALVE Challenger trophy will be more exciting where the domestic stars will be divided in three teams. The four day tournament will definitely improve its viewership stats. Similarly DULEEP TROPHY could have better media coverage.

DLF IPL and SETMAX have done the groundwork to give media and our viewership recognition to a bunch of domestic lads. Now it is all up to BCCI and NEO (having TV rights of domestic BCCI matches) to carry forward and popularize other domestic tournaments. A Mumbaikars or a Delhites disappointment was much more intense due to failure of their favorite teams compared to pride moments of winning Ranji Trophy in last two sessions respectively. It’s all due to negligible coverage of domestic tournaments. If I had been CEO of any such sports channel, should have tried all tricks to let media talk about domestic matches intensively. Sarcastically, media has emerged as opinion leaders and makes people think in the way they want.

For the first time, today a domestic fixture with few foreigners is all set to beat viewership records of Indian ODI matches. For the first time a domestic tournament final has a sky high ticket rates, even at a neutral venue. DLF IPL had been an event which was watched throughout globe and is now regarded as a landmark success for popularization/penetration of cricket to newer markets.

“Awaiting winds of change with this first reformation closing today”


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