The mega sporting event — IPL 2021 — is expected to give an added support to the in-house consumable, advertisement as well as e-commerce segment this season.

The BCCI-backed IPL draws its financial muscle from millions of fans and followers along with franchises who invest handsomely on players and branding.

It is counted as one of the most watched sporting events in the world. The IPL 2021 will be played in April-May 2021 in India.

Not surprisingly, mobile handset maker VIVO returned after a gap of one year to replace Dream11 as the title sponsor for IPL 14.

The company had signed a deal worth Rs 2,199 crore with BCCI for IPL’s title sponsorship.

Besides, this time around, the resurgence of Covid-19 infections, night curfews and localised lockdowns will add more significance to the sporting event for its fans and business opportunities for the select segments.

Also read: IPL set to roll even as pandemic worsens

Notably, Technopak Advisors’ Chairman Arvind Singhal said the viewership of the IPL is expected to be much higher this year which will benefit franchisees and advertisers.

“Because of penetration of smartphones, high-speed internet, that has dramatically improved since the last IPL was held, we will see much better traction from the viewers,” he told IANS, adding that, it will add to the revenue of BCCI and the franchisees.

In terms of increase in consumer demand, he said that as food delivery demand has always been high during IPL, the uptick this time would be healthy as people would not be able to watch matches sitting at bars and restaurants.

Talking of the restrictions and the night curfews across cities and states, Singhal said: “All the restrictions put together are indirectly going to benefit IPL.”

According to Suman Chowdhury, Chief Analytical Officer at Acuité Ratings and Research: “While the resurgence of Covid cases has increased the risks of disruption to IPL 2021, online viewership is likely to remain high and may continue to benefit the online food delivery platforms which have been permitted to make deliveries despite containment measures taken in some states.”

Additionally, India and RCB Captain Virat Kohli expects a healthy IPL viewership this season due to the teams playing at neutral venues which will make the tournament more competitive like last year, when it was played in the UAE.

The IPL 2020 was the most watched sporting event last year in India.