Just after Mumbai was hit by the horrific terrorist attacks, legendary Australian spinner Shane Warne said: “It is just not worth the risk. No amount of money is worth the risk with what is going on over there at the moment.”
That was on November 27, Warne was talking about his participation in the cash-rich T20 Champions League.
Warne is known not to pull his punches, but this time he seemed to capture the mood of many, as the England team flew out without playing the last two matches of its seven-match one-day series, and the T20 league was cancelled. Marketers and broadcasters lost an estimated Rs 120 crore. India began to be compared with other countries where security threat had disrupted the cricket calendar. (Pakistan has not hosted a series in 10 months and not played a Test match this year).
Indian cricket seemed to be on a sticky wicket, casting a pall of uncertainty over the global cricket economy. Over 70 per cent of the global cricket revenue comes from India.
However, as the days pass by, the scenario has begun to change. At least, the voices are less downbeat.
According to Lalit Modi, BCCI vice-president and chairman of the T20 Champions League, “what happened was absolutely horrific and we condemn the attacks, but cricket will continue to survive.” He says security measures need to be upgraded so that people — both players and spectators — feel safe.
According to Manoj Badale, chairman of Rajasthan Royals, the team which won the inaugural Indian Premier League this year, teams and players will be more aware of security arrangements, “but that’s not a new phenomenon”. Badale says there might be some irrational patterns in the short term, “but it will create more opportunities for investors focused on the long term”.
According to a senior executive of a sports management company, cricket won’t suffer in the long term and India will continue to enjoy its dominant position. In the short term, however, experts say the cancellation of the Champions League set ESPN back by Rs 100 crore and Neo Sports took a hit of Rs 20 crore due to the cancellation of the two one-day matches against England.
Abhishek Verma, the head of marketing at Neo Sports, says the economics of cricket won’t suffer. “Cricket is an undying passion in the country and will continue to remain so.” He points out that the death of cricket has been foretold many a time. “When IPL was launched, everyone said it sounded the death knell for the 50-over format,” he says. Still, Neo notched television ratings points of nearly seven for the one-day series against England, though it could also be attributed to the strike that forced general entertainment channels to show re-runs only.
According to Bagdale, IPL teams would continue to react sensibly. “Terrorism is not an Indian phenomenon. Should we stop players from travelling to London or holidaying in Bali, where do you stop?” Both the places have been bombed in the recent past.
