Abu Dhabi: It is an incredible sight to behold if you happen to go to any of the Lulu hypermarkets across Abu Dhabi, Dubai or Sharjah these days.
The serpentine queues at the counters will have you believe that the festive season has ushered in more deals for shoppers, until you realise that all those waiting only want to get their hands on the biggest deal of all, a small piece of paper that reads PEPSI IPL ticket.
Already home to many world-class sporting events, the UAE added another feather in its cap this year when it was chosen to host the highly lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL). The show began with the opening match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi this Wednesday.
Indeed, the cricket-mad expat population here should be thankful for the timing of elections in India which resulted in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) allocating the first 20 matches to the UAE, seven each to Dubai and Abu Dhabi and six to Sharjah.
Big deal
It is quite a big deal, hosting the IPL. Not since Kerry Packer introduced World Series Cricket in 1977 has the cricket world seen such a revolutionary concept. Purists may criticise it for being too commercialised, but for the spectators it is a visual treat.
The franchises representing various Indian cities are owned by big-spending business magnates and Bollywood actors who, as they rub shoulders with cricket superstars, offer a heady mix of glitz and glamour that everybody wants to be part of. Add to that innovations like the strategic time-outs and cheerleaders and the spectators have a lot more to enjoy than just watching batsmen hit sixes and bowlers knock down stumps.
Easy to see therefore why fans in the UAE are turning up in big numbers for the biggest ticket event this region has seen. Most matches are expected to be sellouts with people flying in from various cities in India and other parts of the Middle East, either individually or through package deals offered by private tour operators.
Demographics suggest the biggest fan following will be for defending champions Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings whose skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is understandably pleased to be playing in the UAE.
“I have played here [in Abu Dhabi] before and it has been good. These 15 days will give us an opportunity to see other stadiums also, places where we haven’t played,” he told XPRESS.
For the India skipper the only uncertain factor is the UAE weather. “We don’t know much about how the weather is going to be. Apart from the heat factor, it is not very different to what we have back home. Yes, there could be a slight difference when you compare Mumbai or Bangalore weather. I think this place can be similar to the Delhi dry heat. It can be a challenge initially. But after a few days it wouldn’t even cross our minds once we get into the groove,” he added.
Dhoni is spot on about the heat not being a problem given the amount of money players and organisers are expected to make from an event like this. Besides tickets selling 20 times the original price, star players will earn millions in this month-and-a-half extravaganza. Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Yuvraj Singh will be getting around Dh8.5 million, while lesser-known players will also rake in the moolah with a domestic cricketer earning around Dh900,000 for his efforts.
Lately, the IPL has had its share of bad press due to match-fixing allegations, owing to the huge amounts involved, but it is definitely a tournament that will benefit the UAE.
Already home to the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Pakistan and Afghanistan teams who play their home matches here, the IPL is expected to open doors to more international tournaments and fixtures. So don’t be surprised to see arch-rivals India and Pakistan battle it out here in a long-awaited bilateral series in the near future.
You can thank the IPL if that happens.
You speak:
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