How Vivo IPL 2022 could be a game-changer for brands?

The 15th season of India’s mega sporting league, Vivo IPL 2022, is returning to the Indian homeland in an expanded format. With two new teams Lucknow, and Ahmedabad joining the league, competition has expanded across ten regions, raring to take on each other. This year the auction goes mega, giving teams the chance to refresh and rebuild their squads. As even the most successful teams can only retain up to four players, all the teams could be equally poised going into the new season.

Incidentally, Lucknow and Ahmedabad are big cricket markets in India, contributing 17% to the overall viewership to Vivo IPL 2021, as per BARC. Moreover, Gujarat and UP are among the TOP 5 TV Markets in India, and Lucknow opens up the biggest Hindi heartland for brands and advertisers, making Vivo IPL 2022 a valuable proposition on all counts. BARC data also confirms a 34% increased viewership when teams play home matches, thus indicating that both the new franchises can be significant contributors in terms of overall exposure.

As per sources, both new franchises have shortlisted their preferred three picks that will directly get allotted to the teams prior to the mega auction. While Lucknow is potentially set to sign KL Rahul as captain followed by Rashid Khan and Ishan Kishan, Ahmedabad plans to sign Hardik Pandya as captain followed by David Warner and Yuzvendra Chahal. This showcases how the combination of superstars and powerful cricket markets makes the two new franchises impactful assets for the league and brands associated with it. The massive success of Vivo IPL 2021 which delivered exceptionally high reach and ad attention for brands across categories bears testament to what brands can expect to achieve from the upcoming season.
The refreshed edition of Vivo IPL at the back of a highly successful fourteenth season is pulling out all the stops for taking the league to the next level and giving brands an even keel to leverage viewership. The two new markets enabled by their respective franchises makes the upcoming season bigger and more competitive, potentially adding exponential value to both fans and brands.