Author(s): Rajesh. J, Ramanjaneyulu Mogili and Sivakumar. V. J
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a decade old, electrifying cricket league organized by BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and played out in India from 2008 onwards. The main aim of the paper is to understand the marketing implication to overcome all sorts of controversy, challenges and clutter impacting the overall brand image of the league. The paper has discussed the major controversies and challenges faced by the league in every season like slap-gate controversy, ban on Pakistan players, sacking of Lalit Modi, players testing positive for drugs, fixing scandals, ban on Lankan players, ban of CSK & RCB franchises, League’s fixture & societal responsibility issue and fair-play issues , which had highly tested the credibility of the league. In the marketing perspective, the impact of various clutters of leagues (many emerging leagues) is critically examined to overcome the competitive threats posed before the league. The IPL's nexus with Bollywood industry is discussed critically and significant marketing & promotional efforts to connect effectively with film industry of down south can help to enhance the brand value of the league. The paper also accentuated the IPL's revolutionary role to influence other games in the country to start own leagues and making it to grow bigger every year. The challenge of scheduling IPL season 2020 amidst the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic is also discussed in the paper. Finally, the paper concludes with the need for strategic marketing efforts to counter the above challenges looming the league.