Overdose of cricket is not new, say experts as India & Kiwis gear up for battle

Cricket will never seem to end and we will have 365 days for cricket with some cricket being played in some part of the world. After the IPL and the T-20 world cup which will end the coming Sunday in Dubai, cricket will start in India with the black caps who are having a short T-20 and test series. The dismal performance of India and their exit from the world cup T-20 in the knock out stage has raised eyebrows with the broadcasters and the brands. India will have a new T-20 captain to lead the side after Virat had made his announcement last month that he will not be captaining the T-20 team anymore.

India will be hosting the Blackcaps New Zealand for a three-match T20 international series at home straight after the T20I World cup and this will be the belter of a series. India lost to New Zealand recently in the T20I world cup campaign and they have scores to settle down in the T20I series.

This series will also be the first assignment for Rahul Dravid as the head coach of Indian cricket and it will be interesting to see how he goes about his business. According to unconfirmed sources Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are likely to be rested for the series. This is more of speculation as India will try to bounce back after losing to New Zealand and regain the lost confidence after the early exit in the world cup T-20.

With the festive season just ended will brands spend and buy spots in the coming test series? Even the fatigue level with cricket is so high that brands may take a break for the moment. What kind of rate and package Star sports is planning for this series is anybody’s guess as the overdose of cricket and India’s dismal performance can also bring down the viewership? Brands may also look at exploring the Ashes Series to be visible then during the Ashes, as Ashes will be the most talked about cricketing clash in December this year and extending to the middle of January next year. The traditional rivals – Australia and England – are clashing in a 5-test series Down Under and the viewer’s look forward to this interesting tussle.

So, will brands invest in the Ashes series is what that is to be seen or will brands plan and set aside their budget for the IPL 2022 as that is not far away.

Commenting on the series, Dr Sandeep Goyal, MD, Rediffusion, noted, “Overdose of cricket is not new. India has been playing almost 250-300 days of international cricket for well over 10 years now. So, that is not a new phenomenon. Yes, the despondency on the World Cup is bound to impact the sentiment, and ad rates. But there is now a certain threshold below which rates don’t fall. That much demand is non-elastic. Viewership will depend entirely on India winning again. If India wins, the overall mood becomes more cheerful and positive. That is but natural.”

Divya Radhakrishnan, MD, Helios Media, remarked that cricket is a routine and all tournaments come around in a circle, hence it’s not exactly an overdose. “Also, it’s a game and there is an equal opportunity to either win or lose, which happens on and off. Ad rates are a function of anticipated viewership and rates are a derivative of the same, so all series will get the rate it deserves.”