Tag: IPL

Ahead of IPL 2024, Ashish Nehra spoke candidly about the guard changes at Gujarat Titans. Following Hardik Pandya’s departure, Shubman Gill took over as captain.

Even before the mini-auction for the upcoming season of domestic cricket’s biggest extravaganza, the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise made its biggest announcement. Following the retention deadline, the all-cash deal that the record-setters completed for Hardik Pandya with Gujarat Titans (GT) was a blockbuster trade. The Mumbai Paltan announced a leadership change a few days after approving Hardik’s return home for the 2024 Indian Premier League. The white-ball maestro took over for Rohit Sharma as the new team captain.

While MI announced Pandya as Rohit’s replacement in Mumbai, Gujarat Titans, the 2022 winners, elevated opener Shubman Gill to the first position. Gujarat Titans captain Hardik, a former world no. 1 hitter, was named captain following Mumbai’s IPL 2024 confirmation of Hardik’s signing. Regarding the new leadership at Gujarat Titans, head coach Ashish Nehra acknowledged that it would be challenging for his team to succeed in Pandya’s absence. Pandya led GT to the IPL championship in their inaugural season.

“It’s challenging to replace a player with Hardik Pandya’s skill and experience. We’ve seen Gill’s transformation over the last three to four years. After the IPL 2023 mini-auction in Dubai, Nehra gave his opinions in a virtual press conference. “He’s 24 or 25 years old, but he has a good head on his shoulders,” Nehra said. Gill, India’s all-format opener, led the Titans in runs scored during the previous campaign.

Gill was signed by GT before the 2022 auction after being released by the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2018. It was then decided that rookie GT could sign three big-name players before the 2022 auction. Gill scored 483 runs in 16 games for the Gujarat Titans in his rookie season. Last season, the Indian opener took the Orange Cap after smashing 890 runs in 17 innings.

“We have faith in him. We appointed him captain for this reason. I don’t base my decisions solely on outcomes. Sure, outcomes are crucial, but there are other factors to consider when it comes to captaincy. Gill is the ideal candidate (for captaincy), in our opinion,” Nehra continued.

Ganguly, the DC director, set aside ₹10 crore for the Jharkhand-born 19-year-old keeper-batter. That is fifty times the ₹20 lakh base price.

It would be an understatement to say that Kumar Kushagra made an impression on Delhi Capitals Director of Cricket, Sourav Ganguly, during the trials that were held in Kolkata a few months ago. It could be anything. Take an example of this: Ganguly allocated ₹10 crore for the Jharkhand-born 19-year-old keeper-batter. That is fifty times the ₹20 lakh base price. The former captain of India was prepared to spend everything in the IPL 2024 auction to secure Kushagra. Ganguly might not have known that in order to secure the young player’s first IPL contract with DC, he would nearly have to keep his word.

Following an intense match against Gujarat Titans, DC paid an incredible ₹7.2 crore to acquire Kushagra. The young player was initially viewed favourably by MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings, another team. There are more ties between Kushagra and the great man than just that. Kushagra is an offensive keeper-batter who plays for Jharkhand, the same team that Dhoni formerly played for in domestic cricket.

When questioned about Kushagra and Dhoni being from the same state, Ganguly told broadcasters Jio Cinema, “He will do really well if he achieves half of him (Dhoni).”

The former president of the BCCI may have skillfully sidestepped that query, but throughout the trials, he noticed some Dhoni-like qualities in Kushagra. Kumar Kushagra’s father, Shashikhant, disclosed that his son’s fielding prowess had bowled out Ganguly. Ganguly was impressed with his fielding skills and six-hitting prowess during the trials. He told The Indian Express that Ganguly was impressed by his keeping abilities and even mentioned that he had a hint of MS Dhoni when he whipped the bails.

Shashikant remembered that Ganguly had promised him ₹10 crore, but he never really believed it. Not that DC wouldn’t bid on his son, but it’s rare for a 19-year-old uncapped player to fetch that much; the only other uncapped Indian to win ₹10 crore at an IPL auction is Avesh Khan.

Ganguly informed Kushagra that he would play for the Delhi Capitals and that the team would bid up to ₹10 crore for him following the trials at Eden Gardens. I assumed the Capitals would select him at base. I felt like I was numb for a few minutes. Miracles are all one can think about, and today was one of those days. He was sure because Ganguly had given him his word, but he might have said this to boost his confidence, he continued.

Were the striking trails the only thing that drew DC and Ganguly to Kushagra? Not precisely. The record for the youngest cricket player to score 250 or more in a first-class match is currently held by the then-17-year-old. In a Ranji Trophy 2021–22 match against Nagaland, he had performed that. His 266-run innings broke the long-standing record held by Pakistani legend Javed Miandad. Although the young player is undoubtedly one for the future and could be a backup behind the wickets if DC decides to play Rishabh Pant exclusively as a batter, his T20 strike rate of 117.64 doesn’t exactly exude confidence.

Kushagra, like the majority of Indian cricket players, was bitten by the game at a very young age. “I had never participated in competitive cricket.” All I was was an eager disciple. I decided to coach him when he first expressed interest in cricket at the age of five. Bob Woolmer’s book, The Art and Science of Cricket was recommended by a coworker. That book, I think I read it four or five times at least. Shasikant recollected, “I started training Kushagra after that book became my coach.

Record-Breaking Brand Valuation: IPL’s Soaring Financial Success

In a survey, brand valuation firm Brand Finance stated that following the 2023 season, the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) overall brand value increased by an astounding 28% to $10.7 billion (about ₹89,232 crore). Since its debut in 2008, the premier sporting event in India has seen a 433% increase in brand value.

The analysis attributed this year’s increase in the annual cricket tournament’s brand value to large crowds in stadiums, increased internet and other media consumption of IPL events, and mega-media collaborations.

Franchise Dynamics: Mumbai Indians Lead the Valuation Race

Mumbai Indians, valued at $87 million, were determined by the consultant to be the most valuable franchise brand in the Indian Premier League.

The second team on the list, the Chennai Super Kings captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has a brand worth of $81 million. The next two teams, CSK at $78.6 million and RCB at $69.8 million, are Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and RCB.

Strategic Growth Stories: Gujarat Titans and Lucknow SuperGiants

In terms of brand value, Gujarat Titans has improved the most, moving up from eighth place to fifth this year. This year, its brand worth rose by 38%.

With every IPL season that goes by, Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) demonstrate their strength as brands by continuously enhancing their image in cricket. According to the research, while RR is creating a worldwide T20 ecosystem and expanding its cricket offerings across several locations, RCB is still the highly regarded squad that has never won an IPL championship.

The Lucknow SuperGiants (LSG), up an astounding 48%, are the fastest growing IPL brand, coming in at number eight with a brand worth of $47 million.

As per Brand Finance, the launch of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) resulted in an increase in the clubs’ individual brand values.

“Notable changes, including 52 matchdays, the impact player rule, and the Decision Review System (DRS), bring renewed excitement to the IPL 2023 audience,” concluded the research.

The paper also praised Jio Cinema, owned by Mukesh Ambani, for providing free match streaming in more than 15 languages.

“Jio Cinema’s innovative approach includes analytics-backed flexible pricing for advertisers, ensuring sustained marketer interest throughout the season,” according to the article.

Beyond the Numbers: CSK’s Dominance and IPL’s Global Influence

According to the survey, CSK became the strongest IPL brand in 2023 with a AAA- grade.

Apart from assessing brand value, Brand Finance also uses a balanced scorecard of indicators to evaluate shareholder equity, marketing investment, and company performance in order to estimate the relative strength of brands. In accordance with ISO 20671, Brand Finance’s evaluation of stakeholder equity integrates primary market research data from more than 100,000 participants in 38 nations and 31 industries. Chennai Super Kings, with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 81.8 out of 100, is the strongest IPL brand, according to this research, which was published in the report with a AAA- grade.

CSK’s BSI score was comparable to that of German automaker Mercedes Benz and the massive Chinese social media platform TikTok. In terms of brand strength, the Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans rank second and third, respectively.

“The IPL brand stands as a guiding light to all other T20 leagues, illustrating how the business model can be successfully scaled up on a global level,” stated Hugo Hensley, Head of Sports Services, Brand Finance, London. Professionals are being aggressively sought after by teams to manage sponsor pools, competitions, and player administration throughout the year. Strong governance is essential to maintaining the IPL brand.”