Cricket Xtra: Mini-IPL innovation a necessity

Ajit Vijaykumar 07:00 28/06/2016
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  • The IPL might become the main cash generating source for the BCCI.

    The announcement of a mini-IPL every September took a few people by surprise.

    No doubt there had been plans to take the hugely successful tournament outside India and create a product that can be taken to new territories. But while earlier the Board of Control for Cricket in India talked about such plans in a more leisurely manner, the situation has changed now.

    Having an off-shoot of the IPL has become the necessity and it has all to do with the game’s altering revenue landscape.

    India’s cricket establishment has been simmering for a considerable period, with a lot of trepidation over what might happen if the Supreme Court of India goes ahead and actually implements what it has threatened to.

    The hearing over the proposed structural changes in Indian cricket, which commences on June 29, is expected to fundamentally change the cricketing structure and if one of the most feared recommendations of the court-appointed Justice RM Lodha Committee is accepted, then India’s international matches will have to be telecast uninterrupted, with advertisements allowed only during scheduled break in play like lunch, tea or change of innings.

    BCCI officials have reconciled to the fact that the Supreme Court will almost certainly uproot the existing set-up and according to the worst case scenario, the BCCI could see its revenue from international matches suffer a drop of 75 per cent.

    That is a gigantic figure which, as I have explained earlier, will have massive repercussions across the globe. But if the situation is inevitable, the BCCI simply can’t sit around and wait for the axe to fall. They need to find new sources of revenue and, thankfully, their T20 golden goose – the Indian Premier League – has been left alone as far as advertising restrictions are concerned.

    It is here where the BCCI can maximise its revenue making abilities and it has already moved ahead in that regard. The BCCI is expecting the next broadcaster to cough up double the $1billion amount the previous entity paid for a 10-year IPL TV rights deal. That is a massive figure in any sport and reports of the BCCI expecting an intense bidding and even a deal close to $3bn have surfaced.

    If you look at the implications of the impending court rulings, you understand why the board is after such a steep hike. For the IPL model to reinvent itself and generate more revenue streams, the idea of a mini-IPL has been given the green signal, depending upon the prerogative of broadcasters.

    While the original idea was mooted by a handful of franchises looking to get into the US market, the BCCI is looking at the proposed tournament as another property which can keep the machine running if international matches stop generating the same cash numbers.

    Obviously, it will depend upon the logistics of the proposed tour but there is no doubt it will be a cash cow wherever it is held.

    Make no mistake, Indian cricket will undergo a structural change and the officials are bracing themselves for impact.

    There is a chance IPL will have to bankroll the whole game because the BCCI might simply have no other option.

    Shastri unhappy

    I understand why former team director Ravi Shastri is disappointed. He must have thought that he had done enough to warrant a long stint as India coach, as under his tenure the team had done well in Tests, won the Asia Cup and reached the semi-finals of the last two major ICC tournaments.

    The team was responding well under his and Virat Kohli’s guidance and it was assumed the job was his. But Anil Kumble stole the show with what is said to be a highly impressive and in-depth presentation during his job interview.

    Shastri gave his interview via video conference as he was, surprisingly, holidaying in Thailand at the time. Unfortunately for Shastri, one of the main members of the Cricket Advisory Committee – Sourav Ganguly – was not present at the time of the presentation as he was tied up with another meeting at his local Bengal cricket body.

    Snubbed: Ravi Shastri.

    Snubbed: Ravi Shastri.

    Shastri is now saying he is disappointed because he felt he delivered results and the absence of Ganguly from such an important interaction must have rankled. But if Shastri really wanted the job so badly, I am sure the trip to Thailand could have been postponed.

    He might be a big name but Shastri was applying for a job and for him to be away from India when the race for one of the most sought after positions in cricket is up for grabs wasn’t a smart move.

    Kumble was already a front runner in the race and such an arrangement by Shastri is unlikely to have impressed the committee, which includes Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman.

    There is a lesson to be learned here. If you really want something, you need to show it as well. No one is going to hand it to you on a platter.

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