I haven't been able to figure out the Indian Premier League (IPL) yet. On the face it, IPL and its basis is pure marketing hype. The fanfare of its auctions, the bollywood influence all of it is meant to attract eyeballs but I don't know what is it that IPL has, that will make it a lasting phenomenon.
The IPL has been compared to the EPL on several occassions but what makes EPL so different is that these clubs enjoy tremendous support and that the loyalties have been developed over a century. The loyalty has come in due to stark differenciation between teams. For Eg: a Manchester United Team is distinctly different from an Arsenal Team and this stark division in turn builds loyalties and hence creates rivalries, which, I feel is most important in such a format.
But the big question is does IPL have the power to create such loyalties? Given that its the first season, on the face of it, I say NO, simply because the IPL model is rather superfluous when it comes to loyalties
Take for example the 6 teams in the fray. The stark division in this league is supposed to be based on city but what about the Mumbai Indians is Mumbai oriented? Considering that they have robin uthappa, shaun pollock, Dwayne bravo and only 4 mumbai players (including sachin), does one really expect all the mumbaikars to cheer for the team? The likely hood of the team changing completely next season for profit reasons also makes it likely that regional bias will not be given top priority. The Chennai Super Kings have only 4 Tamil Nadu Players out of a squad of 25 players!! The EPL on the other hand is dedicated to developing home grown talent. David Beckham and Wayne Rooney have come off the Man U and everton academies respectively. These clubs have the loyalties of their fans precisely because they are dedicated to the local community. The La Liga in Spain mandates that about 50% of the team must contain spanish players or local boys. This naturally ensures that regional identity is reinforced through the team.
My opinion is that the management needs to work keenly on honing loyalties and creating rivalries. That needs to be of top most priority in order for the league to work. Instant gratification is short lived and hopefully IPL won't pander to that.
An interesting article on the economic times examines just that. I completely agree with the article in that "Sustaining the excitement around the format depends squarely on the ability of various teams to build loyal fan bases". The article is also spot on about the marketing of all the teams. Its wholly undifferentiated and one really can't tell them apart from the others. Like what makes the Mumbai Indians different from the Deccan Chargers? the author rightly points out that "For eventually, a team is more than a motley collection of individuals; it must represent a point of view, a style of playing the game."
The article also has an interesting perspective in that the IPL might evolve into a unique format of its own and incorporate elements of reality television like innovation, surprises, twists and high drama
Read the Article Here
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