Welcome IPL - "India Ka Tyohaar"!!!!

Oh…Who won the ICC World Cup? The same continent…..err country, which had won it 4 times in the past! But in spite of Australia having won the World Cup, the Indian team was and will always be the winner for all us Indians. They lost the Cup, but they won the hearts of millions by their astounding performances match after match. As the famous Bollywood dialogue goes - Haarkar Jeetne wale ko Baazigar Kehte hain!! For the many who were too disappointed with India’s loss in the semi finals, hey…hold on, there’s India ka Tyohaar coming up!

Just the way we enjoy fast food more than a regular meal, we relish T20 more than a one-day international or a Test Match. And this is the very excitement that IPL brings to every Television Set in India. Hence, the marketing campaign for IPL this year is not wrong in calling it as “India Ka Tyohaar”.

One might wonder if something like IPL needs to market itself as it is already being eagerly awaited with enthusiasm maybe more than that for the ICC World Cup. Even the world cup matches were hyped with the “Mauka” ads. Similarly for IPL, there is a warm-up which needs to be done in the heads of the Indian spectators before it actually begins. This is especially required because hundreds of brands will be riding on this horse called IPL. There will be too much money from sponsors that’s going to pour in for TV ads, the on-field branding, contests, the jersey kits of the players, etc….

As spectators, be ready for performances that were missing in the World Cup. Players who were either not given a chance to play for their country or even the players who got a chance but could not perform well, will look to get back into form in the IPL games. It’s not only money that motivates them to play better, the other factors that come into play are the tremendous audience support, the fast pace of the game, quick results, fast hitting, & presence of mind. They get rewarded with money & entertainment in the form of parties and we get our dose of excitement.

IPL comes at such a time of the year when it makes perfect business sense for any entertainment venture. Vacations for kids & youngsters will just begin, adding to the viewership of the games. Because of the real time performances, people prefer watching an IPL match as compared to a movie. Movie makers and multiplexes have to generally take a small hit because of IPL. No wonder even they take out time for watching IPL matches.

As far as supporting teams is concerned, people are often confused because their favourite player or players could be in a team which is different from their resident city. A lot of players get shuffled every year. Hence many people prefer sticking to their own city or the city which is closest to their residence. Going by this logic, Pune-ites might support Mumbai Indians and Odias might support Kolkata Knight Riders and so on and so forth.

If cricket is a religion in India, IPL sure deserves to be called as India’s Tyohaar that unites people across communities, economic sections, and localities.

So come 8^th April, you will have something to look forward to, for returning home from office or if possible, watch a game at office itself. Afternoons will be spent discussing winners of yesterday’s match, the key performers, and undoubtedly a few expert suggestions as to what could have been done better by the losing team.