It’s party time again. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is leaving no stone unturned to inject the glamour quotient into the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). After scrapping the IPL nights last season, IPL-V will see after-parties taking centre stage once again.
According to BCCI officials, unlike previous seasons, these parties will not be centralised and organised by the IPL governing council, but will be hosted by individual franchisees. Raghu Iyer, chief marketing officer, Rajasthan Royals, confirmed the development to Business Standard. He said they had planned a few post-match parties this year. “These parties will not be after every match, but only on select days,” he added.
The team has tied up with Kingfisher, and the entry to these parties will be on invitation. Other teams are also in the process of finalising their plans and have appointed agencies for the same. According to an official from Kolkata Knight Riders, the schedule, venues and entry fees will be announced in a couple of days.
Few teams like Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab are looking to sell a limited number of 'club lounge or VIP' tickets at each venue. This would include chauffeur-driven pick-up and drop, drinks, dinner, a fashion show and a late night party with IPL stars. According to sources, all pampering is going to come at a price, with organisers looking to sell the tickets upwards of Rs 15,000.
In season three, Lalit Modi, former IPL chief, had awarded the contract to hold the IPL nights to a company owned by Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal. Modi also inked a three-year deal with Viacom18 to broadcast IPL-related events and create its own shows linked to the tourney. MTV, the music channel of the network, hosted IPL Nights, which included telecast of fashion shows and post-match parties. IPL Nights had signed a long-term deal with Karbonn Mobiles. All these deals were called off by BCCI.
Most sports marketing executives point out, these parties will help the teams to get additional revenues. “This year, most teams have settled about 25-30 per cent less in terms of team sponsorship and few brands are not even renewing their association,” said a sports marketing executive.
The IPL-5 kicked off on Tuesday with American pop star Katy Perry and top Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor, performing at the opening gala. The first match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians will be played tomorrow. In all, 76 matches will be played at 12 venues across the country.