With IPL set to resume this week, advertisers eye a blockbuster RoI

New Delhi: Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting was on the verge of flying back home when the ceasefire between India and Pakistan came into effect. 

Despite having the option to return to Australia, the legendary cricketer made a last-minute decision to disembark from the Qantas flight, which was packed with anxious passengers, and chose to remain in Delhi.

Ponting not only stayed back but also took it upon himself to reassure PBKS' foreign players, who were understandably on edge given the potential for a full-scale conflict between two nuclear-armed nations. His move helped convince them to return to India, with the tournament now likely to resume later this week.

Similar to Ponting, other key stakeholders, including broadcasters, advertisers, and fans, breathed a collective sigh of relief as the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to restart this week, with the war clouds beginning to clear. 

The tournament, which was suspended on May 9 amid escalating tensions, is expected to resume on either May 16 or 17, although the final may be moved out of Kolkata due to logistical concerns.

The announcement of a ceasefire on Saturday has cleared the path for the league’s resumption, providing much-needed stability to all involved.

Advertisers eye a massive comeback

A senior executive from a major FMCG brand, one of the top advertisers in the IPL, shared that the conflict had significantly affected consumer sentiment.

“Ever since Operation Sindoor was launched on the night of May 6-7, the whole country was anxiously following war updates. We will analyse the data when it comes in, but our sense is that interest levels had dipped sharply. Now that India has achieved its objectives, the return of the IPL will likely double the celebrations,” the executive said.

When asked whether the brand had shifted advertising budgets to news instead of sports and general entertainment channels, the executive clarified that they had only paused their branding efforts, not diverted them.

“We paused briefly, and any consideration to shift advertising to news would have only been relevant if the conflict had stretched on for months. Our e-commerce channels remained operational, while the branding exercise was put on hold. Some advertisers might have leaned into news channels, but those are typically traditional news advertisers,” the executive added.

A media agency head echoed this optimism and told BestMediaInfo.com that several clients had opted to pause campaigns during the uncertainty but are now gearing up for a strong restart.

“With the nation moving into a celebratory mood now, the IPL is poised for a massive comeback. All the major sponsorship deals remain intact, and the tournament is expected to be even bigger than initially projected,” the agency head said.

For the record, JioStar had secured 20 brand sponsors for IPL 2025 across sectors like FMCG, electronics, and e-commerce. Key sponsors include My11Circle, Campa Energy, Birla Opus, PokerBaazi, SBI, PhonePe, Mutual Funds Sahi Hai, Thums Up, Google Search, Allen Solly, Jaquar Bath + Light, GPay, Kent Kuhl Fans, Dream11, Campa, Joy Cosmetics, TVS, Asian Paints, Zupee, and Amul.

What changes for the remaining game

The IPL Governing Council and BCCI officials met on Sunday to discuss the resumption plan. According to BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla, the board is still working on finalising the revised schedule.

An IPL source revealed that the league will likely restart with the match between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Lucknow, the game that was originally slated for May 9.

“Most likely, the remaining matches will be spread across four venues, with Delhi and Dharamsala unlikely to host more games. All the equipment has already been removed from these venues,” the source added.

The source also noted that the venue for Qualifier I and the Eliminator, originally scheduled for Hyderabad, is expected to remain unchanged. 

However, Kolkata might lose out on hosting the final, tentatively scheduled for June 1, due to a rain forecast in the city on that date.