The first campaign film, created by the company itself, shows “passion, excitement and togetherness of fans watching the league fuel the cricketers to achieve incredulous moments during the tournament.” the company said in a statement.

The campaign shows three different screenings in Mumbai, Lucknow, and Gujarat where neighbourhoods gather to celebrate it.

It added: “The film showcases how among the frenzy and cacophony of these huddles, there are cut-outs of the three players which come to life hearing the massive cheer of their fans, who have gathered around the television sets for what is going to be the start of another grand festival of cricket,” it added.

A spokesperson for the company said, “It is a tribute to fans who fuel the game and breathe life into it. The event is unquestioningly a big-screen phenomenon that is best watched together.“

It said it will add more films featuring cricketers like Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and Ravindra Jadeja along with winners of its contest Fan Banega Star‘.

The league begins at the end of March, with its first match between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad.In the current rights cycle (2023-2027), the Board of Control for Cricket in India will broadcast about 410 matches for which it has sold the media rights for ₹48,390 crore. Viacom18 outbid rival Disney Star in 2022 to pick up the 5-year digital rights of the IPL with a bid of ₹23,757.5 crore, while the latter retained TV rights for ₹23,575 crore.