Star Sports, the official television broadcaster of the TATA IPL 2024, has launched an “ode to IPL fandom and its various expressions” in its campaign for the 17th season of the tournament.
Inspired by real-life fan stories, moments seen on social media and true events of fandom, the campaign aims to bring alive moments of togetherness to unleash a plethora of diverse emotions. It celebrates the idea of “better together” by representing diverse groups of fans whose experience of Tata IPL 2024 and emotions attached with players, matches and match situations are elevated when they watch together.
The film features four IPL captains and Star Sports ‘Believe’ ambassadors – Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer – representing fans in different situations, each representing different emotions which take over when one experiences key moments of the games in groups.
Rishabh ‘Gabroo’ Pant’s gang sheds its “macho personality” and tears up with emotions, Hardik ‘Corporate’ Pandya and his team forget they are in a boardroom with foreign clients and break into a dance to celebrate, KL ‘Padhakoo’ Rahul and his study circle drop their books and let their passions fly when an umpiring decision goes against them, Shreyas ‘Good boy’ Iyer drops his submissiveness around his family and rebels against his father-in-law.
It will be released in multiple languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, and Malayalam.
Sanjog Gupta, Head- Sports, Disney Star, said, “TATA IPL 2023 was the biggest IPL in TV history and reiterated the belief that ritualism, community and togetherness are essential facets of the live cricket viewing experience. This year, our campaign is an ode to the plethora of emotions that fans around the country will experience over the next couple of months. Unlike Indian cricket, where pride is the pervasive fan sentiment across the nation, IPL allows different fans to take sides and experience distinct emotions in the same moment. And these emotions are elevated when they are experienced in the company of friends, families and/or community. The goal of the campaign is to elevate the stature of TATA IPL, drive fan tribes to support their teams even more passionately and excite viewers for an unparalleled experience on Star Sports.”
Star Sports ‘Believe’ Ambassador, Pandya, said, “I’m thrilled to have participated in the ‘Ajab Rang Dikhega’ campaign. Playing the role of a fan in the campaign brought back memories of me being a fan, celebrating happily with friends and family when emotions take over during memorable victories.”
Pant added, As a ‘Believe’ Ambassador, it is an honour to be a part of the ‘Ajab Rang Dikhega’ campaign. IPL is an emotion, and we love it as much as the fans do. Through the new campaign, we celebrate the unique community experiences that IPL evokes across the country making it a truly unforgettable experience. I’m grateful for the love showered by fans and I’m looking forward to IPL 2024.”
The campaign has been conceived and conceptualized by Tilt Brand Solutions, a Mumbai-based brand and communications consultancy that is a part of Quotient Ventures.