Given its enormous popularity, one might think that every franchise of the Indian Premier League is very happy. They have a huge fanbase, they are generating good revenue, people know them worldwide, what more can they ask of? Well, there is something that they have been asking for a long time, and BCCI is not allowing them. The IPL clubs want to go global.
They want to make overseas tours when the IPL is not going on. Not to the Test-playing nations like Australia, where they already have a KFC Big Bash League, but to the non-cricketing nations like the United States of America and Canada. The franchisees want to make their club an international entity and feel organizing such foreign tours will help them gain popularity in nations where cricket is not very popular.
“Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals, they’ve all shown interest in playing abroad during the offseason. The BCCI refuses to even take it up officially, despite the GC discussing it in the recent past,” an insider told Times of India.
“It will only help the IPL grow outside of India, especially in the US, Canada, Singapore, and other non-cricketing countries. We can understand that playing in full-member countries is not possible, but why not otherwise? Why not further the business plan and help franchises become international brands? It’s a win-win,” the source further claimed.
The sponsors also have an issue with the BCCI
As it turns out, not only the clubs but apparently the sponsors are also not very happy with the cricket governing body of India. Except on weekends when there is a match in the afternoon, all of IPL’s matches begin at 8 PM. A match gets over at midnight, by when many turn their TVs off. Even if many stay awake till the last ball, hardly anyone watches the post-match presentation.
This has raised a question of visibility amongst the sponsors.
“Even if they try and finish matches by 11.30 pm, there’ll be some respite. The problem is on weekdays, as it is people switch off by 11 pm because the next day is a working day. Presentation ceremonies get absolutely ignored. So, either do away with them and figure other ways of branding or try and see how a match can be completed earlier than it usually does,” a sponsor told TOI.
“If the IPL authorities can’t advance match timings, at least they can have stricter overrates,” another sponsor added.
