It is just twelve days before curtain would be raised on undoubtedly one of the biggest sports spectacle that has been invented in the recent history, and Indian Premier League’s third season would be initiated with all the razzmatazz. While Indian products are talked with circumspect in the international market, IPL as a brand has gained so much power within 3 years of its launch that now it is being equated on par with other international sporting verticals like English Premier League, the formula 1 car racing as also the National Football League. Its evolution into such a powerful brand is on account of the quotient of glamour associated with it that makes it even a larger brand than say Wimbledon.
Brand IPL has also been catalytic in demonstrating the Indian economic prowess and prosperity in its regalia to the international arena. From the time that it made its debut, it has now emerged as a brand having value of around $ 4 billion. No wonder, cricket players of the past, present and future all have the inert desire to associate themselves in one way or the other, and this phenomena is not relegated to India, but the fever has caught on all across the globe. It has been reported that in Australia a rift has been created among the players like Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne and current captain Ricky Ponting and the cause of provocation is to play in IPL. As Ponting has not been picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders he does not want his peers Gilchrist and Warne to associate with IPL.
Such being the euphoria, and already demonstrating its prowess by giving a shot in the arm to the dwindling economy of South Africa in the second season, when the matches were held there, IPL is planning to demonstrate its corporate social responsibility by using its platform to spread the message of environmental consciousness. Buzz is that a brand icon would also be announced to spread the message and who better than Sachin Tendulkar to don the mantle. But we have to wait for another 12 days.
In the third season there would be sixty matches and teams would vie for third place in the overall ranking as well. For this season the franchises would move to different destinations and the movers include Mumbai Indians who will play some matches in Nagpur, Kings Eleven Punjab-who will move to the beautiful Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh for some matches, Rajasthan Royals would hop across to Ahmedabad and Deccan Chargers may have to shift their base temporarily either to Vizag or at Bhubaneshwar to defend the title.
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