THERE is a new type of caste system at work. It is being surreptiously and ingeniously used by discerning television viewers. You know the couch potatoes who are watching cricket these days. IPL cricket endlessly. So, if you thought that there was this headlong rush to watch the IPL games, think again. IPL cricket watchers are extremely discerning.
In the ratings brouhaha, we miss the minutae of empirical evidence which clearly points to the prevalance of a caste system. Simply put, big game hunting is on. Cricket loving savants who are viewers watch their favourite sides more than the others. And by favourite teams, I am going deeper than mere sub tribal loyalties and specifically narrowing it down to teams which have the big players or show boys. Hence, it could be Sachin Tendulkar aka Mumbai Indians or apna Viru or Virender Sehwag, read Delhi Daredevils. How do I know this? Let us look at the facts. By virtue of this fact, the best ratings are in the cities that they represent.
The glamour teams and glamour players are the ones driving eyeballs. On 17 March, during the MI vs Daredevils game, Mumbai had a TRP of 10.79 as Mumbaikars tuned into the see their favourite son. The game incidentally was played in Delhi. Delhi TRP was 6.83, but Bangalore was surprisingly better with 6.91. On 22 March, the KKR vs MI game in Mumbai once again saw record viewership with 10.65 in Mumbai and 10.54 in Kolkata. Proving that when two high profile teams clash, the interest levels are at fever pitch in the two cities that the teams hail from. But in the first fortnight the best ratings were for the game between Chennai Super Kings and Knight Riders again in Kolkata on 16 March at 10.91.
On 25 March, when CSK played MI in Mumbai, the ratings in the city were in the stratosphere – 10.62. Again two star sides capable of playing slam bam variety to perfection at work. But even more importantly, I guess it is the presence of the master – Sachin Tendulkar – which is bringing in the eyeballs in many of Mumbai’s games. As Tendya runs the last lap of a glittering career, the hoi polloi doesn’t want to miss any opportunity to watch him bat. Realising that this may well be the last year or so of international cricket that the little big fella plays, more people than ever are tuning in. Somewhere the 200 that Sachin smashed against South Africa recently is also acting as a catalyst, for the master has attained a different and new level of competence after that knock.
Big teams with big stars are the overriding theme this time in IPL. With the tournament returning to India, viewer and advertiser interest seems to have peaked. CSK vs Royal Challengers on March 23 has a similar tale. The ratings were 10.41 in the Garden City for a game played in Bangalore. What this also confirms is that the glamour sides with glamour icons are the ones being backed in this tournament. And the ratings drop off the radar in cities which are not playing. Take the Daredevils joust with Royal Challengers in Bangalore on 25 March, ratings in Mumbai 3.33, Kolkata a pathetic 1.99, 2.56 in Chennai, 2.35 in Hyderabad, 2.29 in Rajasthan and 2.26 in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh, the catchment area for Kings XI Punjab. Strangely my own hypothesis takes a beating here because Delhi at 3.52 and Bangalore at 4.74 didn’t exactly set the two cities on fire. However, as a rule this thumb rule works. Take Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers in Bangalore where the TRP in Bangalore was 8.01 and 5.10 in Rajasthan on March 18. The city based franchise model clearly benefits the cities in terms of TRPs. The very first game between Deccan Chargers and KKR in Navi Mumbai saw the ratings at 9.30 in Kolkata and 8.25 in Hyderabad, but since it was also the very first game of the tourney, the ratings were 7.38 in Mumbai where the game was being played.
Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers, Delhi Daredevils are also dominating the betting meter. The overheated satta market at home and the online betting bazaar in the UK are favouring this troika of teams. To win market, Mumbai Indians is placed at 109/50, Daredevils 3, RCB 7/2 and late arrivals CSK 7. The odds on making the final are MI 3/5, DD 22/23, RCB 22/23 followed by CSK and increasingly KKR. As we go into the business end of this tourney, and as more lusty hitting takes place, the odds will change. After all, who knew that a strokeless wonder Murali Vijay will provide the ballast to CSK by playing back to back blinders. Moreover, as new players join in – Doug Bollinger, Mike Hussey, Daniel Vettori, Kevin Pietersen, Ross Taylor et al, the dynamics of the tournament can still change. One thing is a fact, that Mumbai Indians have more or less qualified and are the favourites to win the cup. Now the question is who will deny them – David Warner for DD, Vijay for CSK, Jacques Kallis for RCB or Chris Gayle for KKR?
Tendulkar remains the overwhelming sentimental favourite to take the cup to his Bandra residence.
