Let’s not beat around the bush – the Indian Premier League (IPL), the concluding match of which was played on these shores on Wednesday night, has been the most successful sporting event to be hosted by the UAE.
As much as it is maligned by the critics, there is no denying the immense popularity of the Twenty20 league, a fact proven not just in India, but also in foreign countries like South Africa, and now here.
The UAE is no stranger to world-class sporting events, but for tickets to sell out each day for 15 days in a row – that’s never happened before.
There have been larger gatherings before – the Dubai World Cup consistently draws in excess of 70,000 fans – but with 19 out of the 20 matches sold out, a safe guess would be that more than 300,000 people watched the IPL.
And having been to several matches, I’d add another 100,000 odd fans to that number, who turned up at the venue and returned home disappointed.
Where the IPL has been spot-on is in creating a perfect package for the fans, the players and the sponsors.
But let’s just focus on the fans. The purists may have a different opinion, but the fans have been witness to sensational cricket.
The timing, and the duration of the matches was an important factor. The ticket prices – starting at Dh20 and Dh30 – were absolutely brilliant. The entertainment on the ground, with the pyrotechnics, the orchestrated cheering and clever use of the PA system, and not to forget the ever-smiling cheerleaders, was efficient.
One senior IPL official said he has been told time and again by fans that they would have been happy to pay twice the amount for entry.
Apart from the reaction of the supporters, what would make the IPL officials most happy is that so far, not a single controversy has emanated from the on-field cricket.
Whatever is going on in the Indian Supreme Court, is a residue from previous years. The matches have been clean, exciting, and played in the right spirit of the game.
Sunil Gavaskar, Indian legend and now the interim chief of BCCI for the IPL, was full of praise for the support the event has received from the UAE government, and from the various councils and venues.
The personal involvement of HE Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, played a major role in ensuring the tournament has completely wiped out the taint that cricket faced in the Emirates a long time ago.
And it was also heart-warming for the fans to thank him vocally whenever he toured the venues.
Gavaskar has already said that the unprecedented success of the tournament has persuaded the IPL to consider the UAE as the host of their Champions League T20 later in the year.
But what would definitely be a bigger reward is the return of the Indian national team to play a full series against Pakistan.
CL Twenty20 here makes sense
Unless something goes horribly wrong for the new government after the general elections in India, it seems unlikely that the Indian Premier League will return to the UAE for at least another five years.
Despite the massive success of the UAE leg, which featured the first 20 matches of the season, the IPL officials have been categorical in stating that the first priority will always be to host it in India which makes perfect commercial sense – the value of the tournament for the various sponsors and the franchise owners are better unlocked when it is played there.
The TV ratings in India have been high for the matches played here in the last fortnight, but so has been the cost for transferring the whole system and setting it up here.
And unfortunately, the gate collections, even though they have been fantastic, make up only a tiny percentage of their revenue.
For the various team owners and the sponsors, most of whom conduct a major part of their business in India, the exposure has been limited to television broadcast and print exposure.
They haven’t been able to carry out marketing activations as they would have done back home.
But the Champions League T20 has a better chance of coming to the UAE on more occasions than one. The UAE’s geographical location makes it easier for most teams from around the world to come here, and the compactness of the field of operation – just three stadiums – also augurs well for them.
The chances become even better because the timings of the matches here are such that it will still be a primetime broadcast in India.
