The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) raked in Rs. 4000 crore revenue during the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) season, a total of 25 per cent increase in the viewership from the last year and over 30,000 RT-PCR Covid tests were conducted for a total of 1,800 individuals (including players, support staff, broadcasters, administration members).
According to Arun Dhumal, BCCI Treasurer, this is the report card of the 53-day long tournament. The league was also the first high-profile Indian cricketing tournament since February due to the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown.
The 13th edition of the cash-rich league, which was shifted to September-November window and to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due the increasing COVID-19 cases in India, proved to be a major success seeing the numbers it got.
The tournament that was played behind closed doors banked on the broadcasting and media rights deal for five years bagged by Star in 2017 worth Rs. 16,347 crores. However, Dhumal did not elaborate on the break-up of the revenue and the viewership numbers.
Doubts before the Tournament
Speaking to The Indian Express, Dhumal said the tournament was in doubt when the World No 1 Tennis star Novak Djokovic tested positive for the coronavirus.
Dhumal, recalling a conversation with BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said, "“After that report (about Djokovic testing positive) came in, we were in two minds. Many people told us to not go ahead with it (IPL). What if something happens to a player? The IPL would go on for almost three months. However, Jay said we should go ahead, he was more confident than all of us.”
Shedding light on how this season proved to be a major success for the board and all the stakeholders involved given the challenges they had on their plate, Dhumal said, "The Board managed to cut nearly 35 per cent of the cost as compared to the last IPL. We earned Rs 4,000 crore during the pandemic time. Our TV viewership went about 25 per cent higher, we got the highest-ever opening game (Mumbai Indians versus Chennai Super Kings) viewership. Those who doubted us came and thanked us for hosting the IPL. Had this IPL not happened, cricketers would have lost one year.”
Safety, security and SOPs
Endless conference calls, a recce to Dubai by senior BCCI officials was done to ensure the safety and security of the players in the UAE after it was finalised as the venue to host the IPL season.
The tied up with tech company Restrata for a bio-secure bubble and a Standard Operating Prcedure (SOP) was worked out with experts to ensure there are set rules and regulations during and after the games that are followed for the smooth conduct of the 60-game tournament.
But there were discrepancies in the regulations by local bodies too. While, Dubai didn't have any mandatory quarantine requirements, but in Abu Dhabi the 'authorities were reluctant to give any concession to the quarantine period'. After a few Chennai Super Kings (CSK) team mebers contracted with the virus, the fear of interruptions started ringing true.
Talking about the setback, Dhumal said, "When we heard the news, we tried to understand whether it is asymptomatic or serious. We were told all are asymptomatic. So all went under isolation and we went by all health authorities’ advice. We must thank the UAE, which stood with us every moment."
Having a strict 14-day requirement to follow in Abu Dhabi where eventual champions Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were based, Dhumal said the BCCI managed to convince the Abu Dhabi to reduce the quarantine period since they were operating in a bio-bubble.
