The inclusion of two new teams, a new title sponsor and a fruitful mega auction has set the tone for the upcoming edition of the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL). The Indian domestic T20 competition is one of the highly anticipated sports leagues of the year globally.
With the IPL 2022 just three weeks away from its commencement, Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the tournament, along with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), already started to create a buzz for the upcoming edition.
In the process of creating the hype for IPL 2022, Star Sports has acquired the services of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The broadcaster launched a new campaign called #YehAbNormalHai, featuring the former Indian captain.
To celebrate the IPL summer window, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain is seen in a brand-new avatar. The ad film is directed by Vasan Bala, who is a very well-known director and screenwriter. MS Dhoni is seen as a bus conductor, who has stopped the bus in a very busy street.
A traffic policeman reaches the scene and questions Dhoni about his action. Dhoni explains that they are watching the Super Over of an exciting IPL fixture. The traffic policeman considers the incidence as normal during IPL and drives away stating that this is normal during IPL games.
Speaking about the #YehAbNormalHai campaign ahead of Tata IPL 2022, Sanjog Gupta, Head – Sports, Disney Star, said, “The TATA IPL 2022 campaign seeks to recruit millions of TV viewers and digital users across the country. Structured in four phases, the campaign turns the spotlight on fan frenzy and unique situations typically associated with the tournament as well as the distinct proposition of this year’s edition. #YeAbNormalHai adequately represents this, tying it with the social context of people discovering a “new normal” in their lives. The launch phase of the campaign strives to create a sense of excitement for the start of the 15th season, which promises to be the biggest ever.”
Keeping in mind the popularity of Tata IPL and Dhoni, the campaign will be released in seven different languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada and Malayalam.
Tata IPL 2022 will start on March 26. The league phase of the season will be played in Mumbai and Pune.
On the commercial pitch, apart from signing Tata as title sponsor, the cash-rich league has got RuPay onboard as the official partner. Disney Star secures multiple broadcast sponsors ahead of the season.