Kings XI Punjab have an aura of glamour and verve around them thanks to owners Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia. They boast the services of the flamboyant Yuvraj Singh and dependable Sangakkara; the destructive Irfan Pathan and experienced Jayawardene. So when the first edition of the IPL kicked off, the team from India’s lion-hearted state were looked on with awe and admiration. But the side could not progress beyond the semi-final stage.

In 2009, the spectacular South African setting did little to embellish the team’s chances – they bowed out before the semis, depleted by the absence of Brett Lee and Sreesanth at various stages. Left-arm paceman Yusuf Abdulla was one of the finds of the tournament and he has been retained for the third edition. Luke Pomersbach and Nuwan Kulasekara were bought our ahead of the 2010 auction while they picked former India batsman Mohammed Kaif who is expected to recreate the magic with Yuvraj Singh in the Punjab side under new captain Kumar Sangakkara.

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What are biggest brands in the sporting world? FIFA, the English Premier League (EPL), the National Football League (NFL) of the US, National Basketball Association and Formula 1. Well, add the Indian Premier League to this list. IPL is definitely one of the biggest brands in the sports world and is growing every year.

A new study, carried out by a UK-based brand valuation consultancy for The Economic Times, states that IPL’s brand value is a staggering $4.1 billion.

The study by Brand Finance reveals that as an enterprise, IPL’s overall brand value more than doubled to $ 4.1 billion, or Rs 18,998 crore, in 2010 from a year ago. The study puts the combined brand value of all franchises at $333 million or Rs 1,542 crore.

And with two more franchises joining the extravaganza in 2011, Brand IPL is set for another big commercial leap. The Brand Finance study treated IPL as a single commercial entity, aggregating the income that BCCI and the franchises will generate, and their expenditure. All cross-charged income and expenditures have been ignored to arrive at the total worth, which it terms as the IPL Branded System.

“IPL can be seen as a precursor to emerging global brands out of developing nations and will definitely enjoy a first-mover advantage,” the Brand Finance India MD, Unni Krishnan, told The Economic Times.

Responding to the news, an elated IPL Chairman and Commisioner, Lalit Modi, told The Economic Times, “This is just the beginning and there’s huge value to be unlocked still.”

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Google India and IPL have inked a deal wherein a dedicated IPL channel on YouTube will stream all the action of the latest season live, on http://www.youtube.com/ipl

According to this agreement Google will have exclusive online rights for IPL content for two years and both Google and IPL will jointly share revenues from sponsorships and advertising.

This is the first time Google is live streaming – a mega cricket tournament spanning 60 matches over 45 days – for a major global sport on YouTube.

Apart from the 60 matches, cricket fans will also enjoy special content which will include match highlights, player interviews, wickets of the match, top sixes of the match, award ceremony, pitch reports and much more, at any time convenient to them. Those watching IPL matches live on youTube will also get a special treat – an exclusive “YouTube view” that will provide viewers with an alternative view of the match not available on television or any other media.

In addition to live streaming of matches on YouTube , Google will also host a special IPL branded Orkut community which will host live chats with Man of the Match, team owners, contests and match polls to engage fans and audiences while the tournament is on. Users will also be able to enjoy short clips of highlights and other special video content on YouTube mobile.

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