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MUMBAI:
Some may label it as the poor man's IPL. But Neo Cricket which
is the BCCI's broadcast partner is looking at infusing excitement
into the first ever state run T20 cricket event, the fledgling
Maharastra Premier League (MPL) which is in its second edition.
 The
broadcaster has secured the telecast rights for the MPL which
is slated to run from 17-29 May 2010.The matches will be be
produced live by Nimbus Sport.
Last
year, the MPL did not have a broadcast partner and is thus
hoping to boost its profile through television. Neo Cricket
will telecast all the matches to be played at the Dr. D.Y.
Patil Stadium. Other matches are to be played at the Poona
Club and Deccan Gymkhana in Pune.
MPL
2010 is an initiative by the Maharashtra Cricket Association
and the Sakal Media Group. The MPL teams were bought for under
Rs 10 million last year. They have all been named after famous
forts of Maharashtra, which are:
- Pratapgad
Warriors, owned by Life Cycle (Last year Guardian Holidays)
-
Raigad Royals, owned by Cadence
-
Shivneri Lions, owned by JMJ (Last year Serum Institute)
-
Sinhagad Supremos, owned by Jain Irrigation Sytems
-
Devgiri Emperors, owned by Muraspec
-
Sindhudurg Sailors, owned by Dahad Group
-
Panhala Panthers, owned by Mather and Platt
-
Torna Tigers, owned by Amanora Parktown
 Raigad
Royals walked away with the MPL trophy in 2009.
An MPL spokesperson notes that the aim is to give grassroots
level cricket a boost. "Our aim is not to calculate the
amount of money earned but to develop the game and give district
and state level players more visibility. In terms of television
viewership it is hard to say the kind of response that we
expect given that this is the first year. We will see the
response and take things from there."
Clearly
the idea is to capitalise on the success of the Indian Premier
League (IPL). The thing to remember though is that the IPL
was built on lots of money, glamour and big name cricket stars.
This is what gave it a push when the journey started. MPL
operates on a much lower scale and should mainly appeal to
Maharashtrians. Most viewership should come from this state.
From
an owner's perspective the investment is low. It gives companies
the chance to get involved in the Twenty20 fever even if they
cannot afford the IPL. The players have three-year contracts
which were signed last year and a franchisee owner had to
buy all the 14 players within a budget of Rs 600,000.
Neo
Sports Broadcast COO Prasana Krishnan says, “We are proud
to be associated with an event which encourages grass root
cricket and provides a platform to upcoming talent in Maharashtra
and India at large. Looking at the response MPL received last
year we are sure that this year will hold much more excitement
for Indian cricket lovers through Neo Cricket’s reach.”
Neo
Sports Broadcast VP programming Mautik Tolia says that the
campaign has kicked off on-air and online. The theme is Maharashtra
Ka Maha Cricket. "The whole aim is to convey the sense
of Maharashtran pride and how it impacts people emotionally,"
he says.
While
he concedes that most viewership will come from this state
he says that "if the quality of cricket is good enough
then people from other parts of the country will also be tuning
in. Word of mouth will spread. This deal is in line with our
commitment to help Indian cricket grow."
The
broadcaster's wraparound shows will be done from the stadium.
It is in the process of finalising its commentator lineup
which will includes Milind Rege.
The
MPL has got a clutch of other partners apart from Nimbus.
Kyazoonga is the ticketing partner. Other partners include
Yamaha, Men's Avenue, CottonKing and Urja. This year the prize
money is Rs. 1.5 million. The winner gets to take home Rs
500,000. The runner up, Rs. 300,000. The man of the series
will be awarded Rs 50,000.
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