Ever since the launch of Indian premier League (IPL) in India where cricket is religion, the focus of its fans is entirely different. Now the fans are supporting their respective cities or state. But IPL is much more of a brand than just cricket. The reason is the way in which its respective teams are being promoted on the national as well as the international level. When it comes to the team’s brand name, the team which comes into mind at the very first place is Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The reason is not the players or its success ratio, the reason is merely the face of the brand, the way it is being promoted by one of its owners; the legendary superstar Shahrukh Khan.
Though the team is co- owned by Juhi Chawala and her husband Jai Mehta also, but when it comes to KKR, any fan can only visualise Shahrukh. Despite performing poorly in the first five IPL season’s fans stuck by the brand mainly because of the enthusiasm and support constantly provided by the superstar. Finally the team won IPL season 6 making its distinguished mark in the IPL territory. There are other teams too which are co- owned by celebrities such as Kings XI Punjab by Preity Zinta, Rajasthan Royals by Shilpa Shetty and Mumbai Indians by the biggest industrialist in the country; Mukesh Ambani but the face of KKR stands tall. With the slogan “Korbo Lodbo Jeetbo Re” (we will do, we will fight and we will win)the team has instilled a deep feeling of patriotism in West Bengal and this slogan also inspires the players as well as the fans to inspire themselves again and again after every drastic fall. Kolkata; the city of joy worships all kinds of sports and the love for sports is not limited to cricket in this city. Football for instance is so popular in the city that the city has its own football team. So the dedication of Kolkata fans towards KKR can be well understood and it is a distinguishing example for the country as a whole. Apart from the tough commitment of the team players, its strong fan base has also been a pertinent reason for its success in 2012. Despite losing for 4 consequtive years, the fans never lost hope and kept on supporting the team despite the unwavering national criticism. The way in which the team stood up despite so much pressure is worth mentioning and serves as an example of sportsman spirit that is an essential part of any team.
The 2014 IPL season 7 team is consisted of Andre Russell, Chris Lynn, Debabrata Das, Gautam Gambhir, Jacques Kallis, Kulddep yadav, Manish Pandey, Manvinder Bisla, Patrick Cummins, Morne Morkel, Piyush Chawla, Robin Uthappa, Ryan Ten Doeshate, Sayan Mondal, Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Suryakumar Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Veer Pratap Singh and Yusuf Pathan. The fans are looking forward to the IPL Season 7, 2014 season and millions of hopes are attached to the team.
