Fever pitch

From celebrity team owners like Preity Zinta,Shah Rukh Khan and Shilpa Shetty,to high profile team mascots like Katrina Kaif and guests like Deepika Padukone,there’s a deluge of glamour. If scantily-clad cheerleaders attracted gawkers in the first season,in the latest one,it’s the stars in the stands who’re attracting maximum face time. And with team owners like Mukesh Ambani and Vijay Mallya willing to share the wealth in order to ensure everyone has a good time,there’s no shortage of pre-match and post-match parties. “The marriage of cricket and entertainment took place sometime back; you’re attending the reception now,” jokes former model Angad Bedi,who’s one of the hosts of Extraaa Innings on Set Max. “When you have two high-octane professions like this,the mix is bound to be larger than life.”

The very first edition was launched with plenty of fanfare. But the only celebrity team owners back then were Khan,Juhi Chawla and Zinta,and Bengaluru’s Royal Challengers’ mascot Katrina Kaif. There were a few high-profile guests—Arjun Rampal supported friend Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders,while Suneil Shetty rooted for Mumbai Indians. The second edition,however,saw a significantly lower star count as it moved to South Africa. The only addition was Shilpa Shetty,who jointly bought the Rajasthan Royals with husband Raj Kundra.

IPL 3,however,has gotten bigger—Padukone performed at the opening ceremony,while also being present for all the Royal Challengers Bengaluru matches. Spectators at the stadiums have included Kangna Ranaut,Sanjay and Maheep Kapoor while team bashes have seen the presence of actors like Karan Johar,Fardeen Khan,Sanjay Dutt and Neha Dhupia. In addition,the extra element of glamour—fashion—which was missing before has also been added. As many as 55 fashion shows and parties have been lined up by model Mehr Jessia and her husband Rampal. Jessia refers to the IPL as the biggest thing in India currently. She says,“The only time the players get to mingle with each other is after the match. Hence,we decided to host these lavish parties which would help them get familiar with the others.”

It’s not just the players who are up for auction; celebrity fans are also up for grabs. “Last year,I was supporting the Delhi Daredevils team while this year the Deccan Chargers have asked me to support them. And I really cannot refuse,” says singer Shibani Kashyap,who will be performing before the matches on April,5,9 and 16.

Team owners are not complaining about the carnival atmosphere as long as the moolah flows in. “Parties and events are good,” says Zinta,who feels that,“the more the events,the more the money that comes into the team kitty.”

The formidable television industry has hitched its wagon to IPL too. While the official telecaster remains Set Max,Colors has bagged the rights to conduct on-ground talent competitions. Even movie channels have joined the party; WB has the 20 Twenty slot for blockbuster movies,while HBO has launched the Hollywood Premiere League (HPL). “We know there’s no hope of us competing with the IPL which is why our target audience is people who want to continue to watch something good,once the match is over,” confesses Shruti Bajpai,HBO country head. It’s also no wonder that no big movie releases are lined up during the IPL season. That explains why movie halls are also screening the IPL matches.

But if we think this is the acme of ‘cricketainment’,we’re sorely mistaken. With rumours rife that even Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor are eager to buy their own IPL franchises,there’s no doubt that the stage will only get bigger and showier next year.