Keep the brand alive with innovations, not scandals

Dubai: The IPL brand may not be under any immediate threat, but there is surely a need to bring more transparency and fine-tune the way it is run to take it a step further and to a par with one of the leading franchise-based sports leagues in the world.

The recent rash of controversies, according to some of the leading brand managers of sport in India, is unlikely to have a lasting impact as IPL V is on its last leg now and all will have been forgotten when the next edition comes around in a year's time.

This is largely because the IPL, in its five years of existence, has never been free of controversy — some of them bigger than SRK's show of temper or a franchise owner's sexist tweets.

"The brand has been built with controversies only, but what the Board of Control for Cricket in India [BCCI] needs to look at now is the lack of innovation since its inception. In this edition, you had a situation where three to four of the franchises had retired internationals as captains — it's a game for the youth and should be kept that way," Shailendra Singh, Joint Managing Director of the Percept Group, told Gulf News.

The swelling crowds at this year's IPL was an encouraging sign for its managers, but the TRP ratings — the key factor that drives the sponsors — have taken a slight dip in both the 2011 and 2012 seasons. While it was attributed to a cricket fatigue of sorts after the ICC World Cup last year, it's difficult to pinpoint the reason this time around.

According to Sundar Raman, the CEO of IPL, there has been no complacency on their part.

"Organising such a large marquee event comes with its own challenges. However, it is no different from running a large consumer products or financial company. Be it schedule, marketing and promotions, production, consumer interactivity — we are looking at every aspect to see what can be better in the next edition," he said.

We will wait and watch what surprises they have in store for IPL VI.