Celebrities, Entertainment And Experiences: Inside ISPL's Cricket Revolution With Suraj Samat

Tennis ball cricket, which emerged in the early '90s in India, has become a widely embraced and informal version of the sport, played with a tennis ball. Flourishing on the lively streets of India, this format serves as a crucial starting point for aspiring cricketers, fostering skills such as quick reflexes and adaptability. Esteemed cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar trace their roots back to tennis ball cricket, highlighting its universal appeal. Acknowledging its influence, initiatives like the Indian Street Premier League (ISPL) aim to formalise the platform, bridging the gap between street cricket and the professional game by transforming it into a league format played in stadiums. This move celebrates the diversity and contributions of tennis ball cricket to India's cricketing culture.

The ISPL comprises six premier teams representing diverse regions of India, each owned by prominent franchise owners. Notable personalities such as Amitabh Bachchan (Team Mumbai), Akshay Kumar (Team Srinagar), Ram Charan (Team Hyderabad), Hrithik Roshan (Team Bengaluru), and Saif Ali Khan along with Kareena Kapoor (Team Kolkata), and Surya (Team Chennai) are among the celebrity team owners.

To further engage enthusiasts, the ISPL offers co-ownership opportunities for its teams through an ‘Invitation to Bid’ (ITB) process starting at a base price of Rs 10 Lakhs. This provides cricket lovers with a unique chance to become celebrity team owners, adding glitz and glamour to the league.

With a ballpark of 500 million eyeballs that ISPL controls currently, it has also roped in Mirchi and Gaana as its official entertainment partner. CricHeroes is ISPL’s official app right now and it is looking forward to such partnerships which will inclusively grow the complete league.

In an exclusive interview with Everything Experiential (EE), Suraj Samat, ISPL Commissioner, sheds light on how tennis ball cricket is revolutionising the way the sport is being looked at, his thoughts and vision behind starting this format, the star-studded franchise ownership, and more.

Edited excerpts:

This is the first edition of the ISPL. How is tennis ball cricket revolutionising the way the sport is being looked at and being played in India formally? 

ISPL T10 League extends as a transformative initiative, strategically designed to unite and showcase the finest cricket talent with a threshold mission of identification, development and promotion. Our league is set to become a catalyst for nurturing grassroots-level cricketers.

So if you see, any cricketers that come into the mainstream, first start their journey with tennis cricket. And that is when they start their journey and then go on to play the mainstream. So we have to recognise these challenges faced by these talented players in gaining visibility and opportunities, and that ISPL is positioned to provide a well-organised competitive platform. The structure not only will benefit the individual players, but also elevate the overall standards of cricket in the country. That's the perspective.

What was your thought and vision behind starting a format like ISPL in India? 

At ISPL, we realised over a period of time that there's a huge vacuum in tennis cricket and they don't have a platform where they can come and showcase their talent.

Our mission is to redefine grassroots cricket to provide a robust platform for emerging talents. We aim to unearth the raw potential across the nation, fostering a culture of inclusivity, fair play and skill development for these players. And through ISPL, we aspire to be the catalyst for nurturing these future stars.

How does ISPL aim to formalise the platform and bridge the gap between street cricket and the professional game by taking it in a league format to be played in stadiums?

The league’s forward-thinking approach is underscored by its commitment to building a platform for future cricket stars by actually investing in grassroots development, contributing not only to the immediate success of emerging players but also to sustaining the growth and excellence of cricket.

Our idea is to ensure that every player who can play cricket gets a chance to take the trials and be a part of this journey where they know that they have a showcase, a platform there to showcase their skills in the coming years.

What is the significance of the celebrity franchise owners of the six premier teams in the ISPL in terms of contributing to the league’s appeal, and what impact does it have on recognising and nurturing cricketing talent?

If you see the stars that are with ISPL as the co-owners of our teams, that together following on all social media platforms is around 500 billion. So that's a huge number we are talking about today. And their reach to the public, not only as stars but as influencers is well known today.

And our idea is that with this, our mission and our vision, both will be accomplished to reach every individual to be a part of the platform.

In terms of sponsorships, what kind of brands are you looking at bringing on board for the ISPL–T10?

I think any brand that wants to target the grassroots, the bare masses of the country, should associate with ISPL only because of the reason that the reach that we have together with our stars, as well as our core committee, our mentor Ravi Shastri, Sachin Tendulkar, is far more potential for them to reach to the regular public than any other platform in the country today.

When most brands have found the professional game of cricket to be more ROI-oriented in terms of brand visibility and brand awareness, how do you think ISPL will be able to garner the same kind of money from brands?

ISPL is not only about cricket, it's about entertainment. So we started the platform and got all the stars together the idea was to create entertainment with cricket and also give a platform for all these sponsorships and brands to come in. That's the reason if you see we have first got the stars and then they are finding our co-ownership right now, which is going on for the ITBs where our co-owners will be decided.

What opportunities does the ISPL offer for co-ownership, and how does the Invitation to Bid (ITB) process work for enthusiasts interested in becoming team owners?

You've got to go online and apply for the co-ownership of a team. Once you apply that, then our team will reach back to you and after a certain scrutiny, you will be asked to pay the ITB charges.

ITB is a tender procedure and once that is done, then we will go ahead. Once that is done, we'll go ahead and approve them to pay the fees and they can take part of it.

Rs 12 crore is the base value of every team and they have to book for all the teams and whoever is the highest in the teams.

How would the ISPL - T10 league use experiential marketing to engage fans and create a unique experience for spectators as well as enhance the overall experience for players participating, considering the grassroots level focus?

Now, the players are getting generated from the down level. So if you see, our format is more like an Indian Idol format in cricket where the players today were given golden tickets, now they'll get their green tickets who are coming for the trials to Mumbai. Once they're selected, they'll get the blue tickets that will be coming as part of the auction.

So slowly and steadily they are progressing upwards. And as soon as the time comes to go to the stadium, at that time, we'll ensure that every person who's selected by these six teams is already a star because everybody has a story to tell.

How are you utilising sports technology and integrating it into the league to improve player performance, training methods, and overall game dynamics?

Currently, we're looking at VR and AR being part of the league, which will have a positive impact on the sports viewing experience. VR often offers fans the opportunity to be virtually present at the sporting event. Thus providing an unparalleled level of immersion, personalisation and interactivity.

How does the ISPL - T10 league address the visibility and opportunities for the players, and what strategies are in place to overcome the challenges they may face?

When it comes to visibility, there are going to be 16 players in each team. So they will already be stars by the time they reach the auction because the profiling of each player will be taken care of. And as you move forward, every player will have a different speed or batting technique.

Everything will be highlighted and seen. These are players who have had the passion but never got a platform around them. And all our stars, we are willing to go ahead and embrace them.

What are the trends that are expected to disrupt the tennis ball cricket and street cricket scenario in India in 2024?

I think strategically shaping the trajectory of cricket right now is going to be a pivotal force. The way we are moving forward, it's going to disrupt a lot of trends because the T10 format is new to the country and we are the first tennis-cricket ball league to be played in the stadium, as well as use the T10 format.

So I can say that we are at the frontal seat to do the same.