Indian Premier League has already made its way to the fourteenth edition. When it all started, no one predicted it to become so popular. However, through highs and lows, IPL has become one of the most famous competitions on the globe. That said, over the last thirteen years or so, the campaign and the flavour of the competition have changed. Hence, many a time, we have seen fans getting nostalgic about the initial seasons.
In this article, we look back at a few nostalgic things for the fans of the Indian Premier League. Unfortunately, none of these is likely to happen in a full-fledged manner again.
1. The DLF Logo
DLF was the first title sponsor for the competition. Most fans of the tournament believed that the league itself was called ‘DLF IPL’. However, since then, this has changed on numerous occasions. Vivo, Pepsi, Dream 11 have all been prefixed to IPL in recent times. But, none have been able to have an impact like DLF had. Hence, this logo and the word is always nostalgic for the fans.
2. Set Max and the Anchors
Miss this countdown meter they had before IPL, would open Set Max daily just to see this number going down😣 #IPL2020 #23DaysToGo pic.twitter.com/YTZLreDKPX
— Straight Cut (@StraightCut_) March 6, 2020
It is not that Star Network is bad, but Set Max is an unforgettable channel. Usually, Set Max used to play movies, and only during the summer, the channel streamed cricket. Also, the anchors who used to host the pre-match and post-match shows were brilliant. The likes of Gaurav Kapoor and Sameer Kocchar, Archana Vijay, Shibani Dandekar are all part of our IPL memory. That said, Star is also picking up, and they have plenty of time to carve an identity for themselves.
3. The IPL Trophy
The IPL Trophy itself triggers a wave of memories. Unlike the usual awards, the trophy at that time was basically a studded India map on a frame. For kids of those days, this trophy was unusual and instantly got stuck in their minds. It is only later that the shape was changed to a conventional one. We really hope that IPL brings back the old trophy.
4. The Movie-Stars as Brand Ambassadors
Katrina Kaif ,Royal challengers Bangalore IPL team brand ambassador during a promotional event on May 10 2009 in Bangalore pic.twitter.com/9iKJNU8sdR
— Katrina Kaif throwback (@katthrowback) December 6, 2020
This is one more aspect that is a major miss these days. However, with the controversies many celebrities get into, we may not see this happen again, at least from a PR perspective. That said, when it was a thing, it was actually entertaining. The likes of Akshay Kumar, Vijay, Venkatesh, Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone were all brand ambassadors once. Although a few celebs still show their love for their favourite franchises, nothing is on an official deal now.
5. The ‘Icon’ Cricketers
The ‘Icon’ cricketer concept is a truly nostalgic one. In the first season, every franchise was allowed to pick a popular name from the city that the team was based out of. It is in this way that Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and others all went to their home-franchises. However, these days, this concept is not in existence. Hence, we see a Delhi player leading a Bengaluru team, a Bengaluru guy captaining a Punjabi squad and a Kerala player captain of a Rajasthan squad, although this is also a good practice.
6. The Opening Ceremony
Dhoni, Raina and the rest with the Big B at DLF IPL 2012 opening ceremony! pic.twitter.com/7j0VfxNu
— CricShare (@cricshare) April 3, 2012
Opening ceremonies are unlikely to happen in the future. With COVID restrictions and money being spent wisely, these affairs have a very little scope and importance now. However, in the past, these ceremonies were used as the one and only marketing strategy. Now, it’s more of matchups and rivalries that get the highest mention. Nevertheless, opening ceremonies were actually entertaining.
