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Category: Sports

  • Remaining IPL matches to be played outside India: BCCI prez Sourav Ganguly

    Remaining IPL matches to be played outside India: BCCI prez Sourav Ganguly

    New Delhi: The remainder of the suspended Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 will be played outside the country, said Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) head Sourav Ganguly, putting to rest a lot of speculations about the league.

    While it remains unclear if a window will be available this year to play the outstanding 31 games of the tournament, Ganguly said he is sure that it will not happen in India in the present scenario.

    The 14th edition of the immensely popular cricket league that began on 9 April was suspended mid-way last week after several cricketers including team staff tested positive for Covid-19.

    “There are lots of organisational hazards like 14-day quarantine. It can’t happen in India,” Ganguly told Sportstar magazine in an exclusive interview, expressing reservations over holding rest of the league matches in India due to the Covid-19 restrictions .”This quarantine is tough to handle. Too early to say how we can find a slot to complete the IPL.”

    Warwickshire, Surrey and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) are keen to host the remaining matches in September. But according to a Reuters report, BCCI is yet to discuss the offer.

    IPL 2020 was played in the United Arab Emirates last September when the world braved the first onslaught of the deadly pandemic.

    The BCCI head had earlier revealed that the governing body will incur a loss of Rs 2,500 crore if the suspended IPL 2021 is called off for this year. “If we fail to complete the IPL, the loss will be close to Rs 2500 crore ($340 million approximately). That is going by early estimates,” he had told The Telegraph. 

    Meanwhile, India would play three one-dayers and five Twenty20 Internationals in Sri Lanka in July.

    The Indian team is expected to leave for England in early June for the World Test Championship final in Southampton against New Zealand. They will play a five-test series against England.

  • NBA welcomes free vaccination drive for journalists

    NBA welcomes free vaccination drive for journalists

    NEW DELHI: The News Broadcasting Association (NBA), has welcomed the Uttar Pradesh government’s move to organise a Covid vaccination camp exclusively for media personnel in Noida on Monday. 

    NBA president Rajat Sharma thanked UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath for the initiative.

    The camp was held at Indra Gandhi Kala Kendra Noida where personnel from various media houses including India TV, ABP, TV Today, News 24 got their first dose of vaccine. The Covid vaccination camp witnessed the presence of MP Mahesh Sharma and state cabinet minister – medical and health, family welfare maternal and child welfare department, Jai Pratap Singh.

    Earlier this month the Uttar Pradesh government had decided that media officials will be given priority during the vaccination drive against Covid2019. The state government has said that journalists should be allotted separate centres for inoculation, adding that necessary arrangements should also be made at their workplace to administer the vaccine for free of cost if required.

    Notably, several states including Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and others as Uttar Pradesh have declared journalists as ‘frontline workers’ and decided to give priority in the vaccination drive as the second wave of pandemic rages across the country.

  • IPL 2021: Advertisers will have to pay only for matches played

    IPL 2021: Advertisers will have to pay only for matches played

    KOLKATA: The Indian Premier League (IPL) going into limbo due to the current Covid2019 crisis has thrown up a whole host of problems for the stakeholders involved. With only 29 games played and nearly an equal number of matches still in hand, advertisers who had struck ad deals well in advance or for the entire duration of the league were in a fix. Now, it has emerged that official broadcaster Star Sports has asked advertisers who had slots for the tournament airtime to pay only for the matches that have been played.

    Star Sports has also reached out to title sponsors and advertisers which had bought airtimes with an option to continue the deals when BCCI orders resumption of the tournament.

    “Given the unprecedented times, Star India has reached out to all their advertisers informing them and their agencies to only bill for the inventory consumed so far. The contingency plan gives brands the first preference to continue the ad deals if and when BCCI decides to resume the league at a later stage,” a PTI report stated quoting a source.

    The source added that this option will enable brands to capitalise on the second leg and the transparency will ensure a minimum adverse impact on their business objectives.

    Last Tuesday, BCCI decided to “postpone” the ongoing IPL season with immediate effect after several players and support staff tested Covid positive. For the first 26 matches played in IPL 2021, Star India network has garnered a cumulative reach of 352 million, as against the 349 million reach for IPL 2020.

  • Guest column: ‘Digital Drive,’ not ‘Cover Drive’, is the best shot for the future of cricket

    Guest column: ‘Digital Drive,’ not ‘Cover Drive’, is the best shot for the future of cricket

    Mumbai: Let’s face it – globally cricket is not the most popular sport. The ICC, cricket’s global governing body of cricket was founded in 1909 in Lords. In its 110+ years of existence, it has managed to create only 12 full-time member countries competing in Test cricket. Currently, cricket suffers from three major problems.

    First, the massive difference in skill level between the 92 associate members and the full-time members curtails the game’s popularity in the associate member countries. Second, at least four of the 12 full-time members, such as Ireland, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and even Bangladesh, cannot compete against India, England, or Australia, which creates unengaging matches. And third, the low viewership of cricket outside the 12 full-time member countries.

    Fans’ engagement suffers when their national teams can’t compete against the more powerful teams. Thus, we find the powerful cricket teams only playing against each other to ensure business sustainability for the game. In the last 10 years, India has played 50 per cent of their test matches against England and Australia. There is no real incentive for an Indian or Bangladeshi fan to watch a bland India-Bangladesh match unless the games are competitive enough to drive the narrative.

    There is no doubt that Test cricket is dying, and the T20 format can help associate and full-time members produce competitive cricket. However, T20 cricket has been around since 2003, when the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) first introduced this format for their inter-county competition. Thus in the last 18 years, this format has failed to popularise cricket in ICC associate member countries, not even in major sporting nations such as Argentina and Germany. It is not that Germans only love soccer, as they also play handball, basketball, tennis, among other sports.

    They just do not play cricket, as there is no interest at the ground level. It is a catch-22 situation as citizens won’t play the game unless they find their national teams competing well with the stronger teams. But, countries won’t have strong national teams unless more citizens play the game.

    Building strong national cricket teams in associate member countries is an almost impossible task, especially if it didn’t happen in 110 years. Thus, only franchise cricket can popularise cricket and make it a truly global sport. Franchise cricket can help erase the massive difference in quality between national teams and make cricket more democratic and popular. The launch of the IPL was a decisive first step for taking cricket outside of the rigid competition between national teams.

    After that, the rapid spread of franchise cricket leagues in almost every cricketing country and the recent launch of Major League Cricket in the US produced a reliable preview of the future of global cricket. But, franchise cricket leagues alone can’t drive the growth of cricket beyond a point. They will need digital platforms to generate and retain interest at the grassroots level in both playing and non-playing countries.

    According to a study done by Havas Sports and Entertainment, during the IPL, viewers in the age group of 31-44 years make for the most engaged group with the game, not only in terms of viewership but also in terms of social media chatter, participating in contests and creating their fantasy leagues based on IPL players. This trend is bad news for both advertisers and cricket administrators. India is a very young country with a median age of 28 and more than 50 per cent of its population below 25. In such a backdrop, only digital technologies can create a 360-degree ecosystem to drive fan engagement and popularise cricket among the young generation – the most important demographic for all stakeholders.

    The use of match-ups for driving match strategy is only a tiny part of the already rampant use of Digital Technologies in the IPL. The unprecedented growth of fantasy cricket apps and their mainstream status in the cricket narrative shows how the wind is blowing. Every day before the IPL matches, diverse cricket-related websites and apps announce their fantasy cricket predictions, including the IPL broadcaster Disney+ Hotstar and independent platforms such as Cricinfo, CricTracker, SportsKeeda, etc. Thus fantasy cricket has become mainstream and is not considered a critical part of the cricket ecosystem and fan engagement. Almost every prominent cricketer in India is advertising for some fantasy cricket platform or the other on primetime television, which shows the massive investment in such ventures.

    In the future, we will see a convergence of digital for enabling every aspect of the game as digital-driven fan engagement is the key to driving cricket. Broadcasting, Start Interacting is now the new mantra of sports coverage. Instead of fans following sports, the new paradigm will be ‘sports that follow fans’ through VR-driven in-stadium experiences and the thrill of watching the game with millions of online friends.

    Recently Amazon introduced an innovative feature where viewers can choose the announcer/commentator of their choice for NFL games. Another innovation is flexible subscription models where fans can pay to see only a part of the game at meagre costs.

    Digital convergence in cricket has already produced tremendous advantages for brands. As per industry reports, IPL 2020 helped PhonePe enjoy an uplift of 59 per cent in top of mind awareness. Spotify saw a 29 per cent growth in daily downloads, and Josh, a short-video app by Dailyhunt saw a 2.3X increase in advertisement awareness 20 million new downloads for the app during the IPL. Additionally, the daily downloads of the CRED app increased by over 8 times compared to the data recorded during the pre-IPL period.

    This is just the beginning of the Digital revolution in cricket. Augmented 3D and 360-Degree live cricket viewing experience would be a win-win situation for both the viewers and advertisers. Sharper demographic and interest targeting coupled with non-intrusive and immersive in-game advertising opportunities which seamlessly integrate the brand with the gameplay will help anchor brands on top of the customer’s mind.

    At its core, cricket or any sport is a source of entertainment for fans. If cricket can’t match up to other entertainment sources, it will die off. Thus, digital technologies are not just value-add partners for cricket. When harnessed correctly, they can be the vital life force that will grow cricket to become the global phenomenon it deserves to be.

    (Suman Dubey is the author of the best-selling novel ‘The Fixer’ – a thriller based on match-fixing in cricket. He has studied at Cornell University and worked in Silicon Valley. In his 20-year long career, he has experimented with five different career paths across nine industries in 12 global cities. The views expressed in the column are personal and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.)

  • BCCI to incur loss of Rs 2500 crore if IPL’s called off: Sourav Ganguly

    BCCI to incur loss of Rs 2500 crore if IPL’s called off: Sourav Ganguly

    KERALA: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly has revealed that the governing body will incur a loss of Rs 2,500 crore should the suspended Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 be called off for good. This year’s IPL was cancelled earlier this week after the bio-secure bubble was invaded by the Coronavirus and several players and team staff contracted the disease.

    “If we fail to complete the IPL, the loss will be close to Rs 2500 crore ($340 million approximately). That is going by early estimates,” Ganguly told The Telegraph. 

    The former Indian skipper added that the BCCI will have to dig deep to carve out a window in the busy international calendar to find slots for the remaining 31 matches in this year’s IPL. Ganguly also hinted that the board will soon communicate with other cricket bodies to find a possible window in 2021. 

    He made it clear that the suspension of this year’s IPL will not be a blow to the world’s richest T20 league. 

    “I wouldn’t say it is a blow. Don’t forget last year we had no Wimbledon or Olympics. These are extraordinary times and we have to take it in our stride and move on. We can’t do much in these situations. Perhaps we have to only wait for things to improve,” asserted Ganguly. 

    As for whether the current situation puts the status of the ICC T20 World Cup in jeopardy, Ganguly suggested that assuming anything right now won’t be right. 

    “Let’s see what happens to the World T20. There’s still some time left and we don’t know how things will pan out a month later. Can’t comment right now. But let’s not assume things,” said the Dada of Indian cricket. 

    Ganguly added that the BCCI is doing whatever it can to expedite foreign cricketers safe departure from India. Eight English players and five South African players have already reached home. Due to the international travel restrictions, Australian players will initially travel to the Maldives. After 10 days of quarantine, they will fly to their homeland. 

  • IPL 2021: Star India garners cumulative reach of 352 million in 26 matches

    IPL 2021: Star India garners cumulative reach of 352 million in 26 matches

    KOLKATA: After a span of two years, the Indian Premier League (IPL) kicked off on home soil with much pomp and show during the quarter when it’s routinely played. However, with the alarming peak in Covid cases across the country, the Board of Cricket Council India (BCCI) came under intense pressure to suspend the tournament. As soon as the bio bubble was breached, the writing on the wall was clear – the board had no choice but to call off the event for the time being. Despite the controversy surrounding the IPL this time around, it has nevertheless entertained viewers in its nearly month-long run, perhaps serving as a distraction from the negativity all around, if one goes by the numbers.

    According to latest data, Star India network has garnered a cumulative reach of 352 million in the first 26 matches of IPL 2021, compared to 349 million in the corresponding number of matches in IPL 2020 (Source – BARC TG: 2+U+R). Since acquiring the media rights for the league, Star and Disney India have tremendously grown the league year-on-year. The upward trend reflects the loyalty of the fans and the popularity of the Indian Premier League.

    “We are humbled with the response to IPL 2021. While it’s heartening to know that more viewers tuned in to watch this IPL season than the one in 2020 (at the same stage of the tournament), we still believe that postponing the season was the right decision to ensure the safety of everyone involved and in line with the prevailing situation in the country,” said a Star Sports spokesperson.

    The IPL megacast with nine different feeds in multiple languages along with broadcast innovations – such as simulated crowd sound and dynamic audio – kept viewers equally engaged as the last season. The Star India network had earlier announced that it had clocked 323 million total impressions for the opening match of Vivo IPL 2021.

     The curtain raiser between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore received a tremendous response, bigger than opening matches of all other IPL editions held previously (other than Dream11 IPL 2020) and 42 per cent higher than the 2019 season. This year, nearly every third TV-owning household in India watched the opening match live.

  • IPL 2021 in limbo, will it get a follow-on?

    IPL 2021 in limbo, will it get a follow-on?

    KERALA: With the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 suspended indefinitely due to the devastating second wave of Covid2019, the fate of the rest of the tournament now hangs in the balance. 29 out of the 60 games have been played so far, while 31 matches still remain in the current season. 

    The decision to postpone the IPL comes at a time when a host of brands bank on the tournament for their marketing initiatives and many were already in the process of launching new promotional campaigns. 

    With the bio-secure bubble pierced by the Coronavirus, several players and support staff contracting the infection and the country in the throes of a full-fledged Covid crisis, it is anybody’s guess whether the IPL 2021 will be back for a second innings.

    Possibilities of rescheduling the IPL 

    Last year, due to the Covid outbreak, the IPL was played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with no in-stadia audience. Even though all the games were played in empty stadiums, the 2020 edition was a great success in terms of television viewership. With a total of 400 billion viewing minutes on TV, IPL 2020 clocked a substantial jump in total consumption over IPL 2019, which witnessed 326 billion viewing minutes. 

    As India is a country where cricket is considered an emotion among millions, BCCI may think to adopt the same strategy to resume the suspended 2021 edition of the league. It should be noted that June and July are monsoon months in India, and it will be practically impossible to host cricket tournaments during these months. Moreover, the possibility of a Covid third wave is also compelling the BCCI to consider other venues like the UAE. 

    “The suspension of IPL within four weeks is an indicator that it’s not really safe to host a global event of that magnitude at a time when the country is fighting its worst health crisis in the last 70 years. There is a chance of a third wave hitting the Indian shores in November. So while BCCI will remain the hosts, the tournament will probably shift to the UAE,” a top BCCI official told PTI. 

    BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla said, “We will see if we can get any suitable time for the IPL event later in the year. It may be September, but for now, it will only be speculation. The situation as of now is that we are not organising the tournament.” 

    Shukla also assured Star Sports that the tournament is not cancelled, but postponed, and made it clear that the ongoing 2021 edition will be revived when the situation improves. 

    “In due course, when the Covid situation improves, a decision will be taken about it,” he reportedly told broadcasters Star Sports.

    A possible revival of IPL 2021 will happen only after the World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand from 18 to 22 June 2021. In all probabilities, BCCI will likely wrap up the remaining 31 matches of the IPL before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup that is expected to begin on 18 October. 

    IPL provided much-needed relief to Indian audiences.

    Even though the IPL received mixed reactions from people amid the second wave of the pandemic, industry experts strongly believed that cricket matches in the evening provided much-needed relief to Indian audiences. The TV ratings of IPL matches this year were also unabated, and some matches featuring top teams like Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) witnessed record viewership. 

    “One must also acknowledge that while it was ongoing over the last few weeks, the IPL provided three to four hours of much-needed diversion and relief to the Indian masses who are reeling under a barrage of bad news on the Covid front. Secondly, the value of any enterprise is based on its future cash earning capacity. To our mind, while there will be some revenue loss this year, the future revenue generation ability of the IPL is undiminished,” said Duff & Phelps MD & head – valuation advisory APAC Varun Gupta. 

    Australian players stranded in India

    Meanwhile, Cricket Australia (CA) has made it clear that it will not seek exemption from a government-imposed travel ban for flights from India. It was around a few days back that the Australian government temporarily barred its citizens from entering the country if they happened to be in India within 14 days of their scheduled arrival. 

    “CA and the ACA respect the decision of the Australian Government to pause travel from India until at least May 15 and will not seek exemptions,” said CA and Australian Cricketers’ Association in a joint statement. 

    However, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said that they will make all necessary arrangements to expedite all players safely from India. 

     

     

  • From IPL to Euro 2020: 5 major sports events suspended due to Covid

    From IPL to Euro 2020: 5 major sports events suspended due to Covid

    KERALA: When the first positive case of coronavirus infection was reported in Wuhan, China in late 2019, no medical expert in the world thought that this infectious disease will emerge as a global pandemic. And now, when the second wave of Covid2019 is wreaking havoc in several countries like India, difficult decisions have been made even in the world of sports. Several major sporting events have been cancelled or postponed due to the pandemic, and the recent addition to this list is the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. 

    Indiantelevision.com presents to you a list of five major sporting events that were called off or rescheduled due to Coronavirus scare. 

    Indian Premier League 2021

    It was on 9 April that the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 began in an empty gallery without any spectators. The decision to host the tournament had been met with criticism from certain corners, as it came at a time when India is battling the second wave of Covid. 

    However, the ongoing season of the IPL was postponed less than a month after its grand opening due to the bio-secure bubble being invaded by the coronavirus. Within the last few days, two players of Kolkata Knight Riders, two Chennai Super Kings coaches and one player each from Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals tested Covid positive. 

    “The Indian Premier League Governing Council and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in an emergency meeting has unanimously decided to postpone IPL 2021 season, with immediate effect. The BCCI does not want to compromise on the safety of the players, support staff, and the other participants involved in organising the IPL. This decision was taken keeping the safety, health, and well-being of all the stakeholders in mind,” said the BCCI, after suspending the ongoing event. 

    BCCI also added that the league will be rescheduled to another date this year. However, it is still unclear whether the event will be played in India or another country. Last year, due to the raging pandemic, the IPL took place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) September onwards. 

    Tokyo Olympics 2020

    The 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics were scheduled to take place in Tokyo, beginning 24 July 2020. However, due to the Covid2019 outbreak, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was compelled to postpone the event. The decision to call off the feted event for a year was made when countries like Canada, Australia, and Great Britain announced that they would withdraw from the Olympics unless the event was postponed. 

    According to the latest updates, the IOC plans to host the opening ceremony on 23 July 2021. On 20 March, citing travel restrictions and the safety of athletes, it was announced that there will be no spectators for the upcoming Olympics. However, it is still unclear whether the event will actually take place, considering the second wave of the virus currently holding sway in several countries. 

    UEFA Euro 2020 and dilemma surrounding Copa America

    The UEFA Euro 2020 championship was originally scheduled to take place from 12 June to 12 July 2020. However, the pandemic turned things upside down, and the tournament was rescheduled to take place a year later, from 11 June to 11 July 2021.

    The South American Football Federation’s well-laid plans to host the Copa America 2020 from 12 June to 12 July 2020 were also dashed because of Covid, and the organisers were forced to postpone it to 2021. 

    Copa America will now take place in Colombia and Argentina from 13 June to 10 July 2021. However, several industry experts believe that the tournament may not go as per plans, especially considering the rapid surge of Covid cases in countries like Brazil. 

    Hero I-league 2020-2021

    When it comes to football in India, the Indian Super League (ISL) 2021 matches were conducted in an empty stadium in Goa. 

    However, organisers were compelled to postpone the I-League midway with 23 matches left. They had no choice but to declare Mohun Bagan as the champions of the season, as the second-placed team could not catch up even if all 20 games were played. 

    Wimbledon 2020

    One of the Tennis Grand Slams, Wimbledon 2020 was also postponed due to the coronavirus scare. This was the first time the championship, held every year in England, was deferred since World War II. As the 2020 tournament did not go as per plans, organisers have decided to host the tournament from 28 June to 11 July 2021. 

  • IPL 2021 suspended as more players, team staff test Covid positive

    IPL 2021 suspended as more players, team staff test Covid positive

    NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to suspend the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 for the time being after several players and support staff reportedly contracted Covid2019. 

    “The BCCI does not want to compromise on the safety of the players, support staff and the other participants involved in organising the IPL. This decision was taken keeping the safety, health and wellbeing of all the stakeholders in mind,” said a statement issued by the BCCI after an urgent meeting with the IPL governing council.

    “These are difficult times, especially in India and while we have tried to bring in some positivity and cheer, however, it is imperative that the tournament is now suspended and everyone goes back to their families and loved ones in these trying times,” it added.

    The governing body for cricket in India went on to say that it will do everything in its powers to arrange for the secure and safe passage of all the participants in IPL 2021.

    The decision comes close on the heels of Monday’s match between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) being postponed after KKR bowlers Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier tested positive for Covid2019.

    According to a report by Sportstar, the decision was taken after Amit Mishra and Wriddhiman Saha too tested positive on Tuesday. Multiple BCCI officials and the franchises have confirmed the development to media publications.

    Reports stated that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had informed the BCCI that the team won’t play its upcoming match against Rajasthan Royals in New Delhi on Wednesday after two members of its squad, bowling coach L Balaji, and a bus cleaner tested Covid positive.

    Many Australian players have left the IPL early amidst the second Covid wave tearing through India.

    The development is sure to throw a spanner in the plans of broadcaster Star Sports and the brands who had sought to capitalise on the league’s incredible popularity and reach.

    After a season abroad due to the Covid pandemic, the IPL had returned to India for its fourteenth season and a bio bubble was set up to ensure the safety of players, team staff, crew and other people involved in the league’s execution. However, the bio bubble has proved to be less than infallible as Covid positive cases were detected within even before the tournament kicked off on April 9. Now, after almost a month and millions of new cases reported, the deadly virus has pierced the bubble. With multiple infected persons cropping up across teams since last week, the fate of IPL 2021 hangs in the balance.

  • HDFC Life Partners with Sportskeeda for IPL 2021

    HDFC Life Partners with Sportskeeda for IPL 2021

    National, 19th April 2021 – After a successful partnership during IPL 2020, HDFC Life Insurance Company Limited, a leading long-term life insurance solutions provider in India, signs official sponsorship with Sportskeeda yet again for IPL 2021. 

    Despite matches being played behind closed doors amid a surge in pandemic related cases in India, a week and 8 matches into IPL 2021, we have already witnessed one of the most unique seasons in IPL history with some high octane clashes, giving a glimpse of the zealous competition that’s about to unfold in the upcoming days.

    Sportskeeda, who recently became the 2nd largest sports website in India (Source: As per Comscore’s Mobile Metrix Media Trend Report, India Data, Sports Category, July 2020 to Jan 2021, Mobile Web & App, Unique Visitors) is among the top media platforms that bring comprehensive IPL news to people every season, and this year’s association between the two involves a 360-degree approach in creating awareness about the HDFC Life products via properties like display banner promotion, social media posts, content integration along with high impact ad which provides a much more interactive ad experience to the users. This lies in line with HDFC Life who has proven to be an award-winning one-stop-shop for all things insurance, including a range of individual and group insurance solutions that meet various life stage needs of customers like Protection, Pension, Savings & Investments, Health, etc.

    Apart from this, Sportskeeda also introduced an exclusive video IP called Sar Utha Ke Jiyo Moments Powered by HDFC Life. A weekly video series, Sar Utha Ke Jiyo Moments is a show where a host and a guest speaker break down top moments of the week such as a last-ball thriller or a great knock in tough conditions, etc. Promoting the video IP through articles, announcement posts, swipe up stories and social media contests are elements geared towards adopting a well rounded approach in campaign amplification.

    Vishal Subharwal, Executive Vice President & Head of E-commerce & Digital Marketing from HDFC Life said,”One can draw numerous parallels between the age old game of cricket and securing your future with the right life insurance.Everything from planning and making the right choices with a long term view, starting early and adapting as per the needs of the stages you’re in, to being prepared for uncertainties and having contingency plans, the two mirror a lot of these principles and HDFC Life’s alliance with Sportskeeda intends to convey this message to the audience”.

    Speaking on this, Sportskeeda’s Business Head, India, Kanav Sud said, “We had previously worked with HDFC Life during both the 2019 and 2020 IPL seasons and it is an absolute pleasure to serve them again. We are excited to see how our new offerings help HDFC Life in reaching out and engaging their target audience and hoping to make this endeavor a grand success once more”.