Analysis of KKR..

Now, that I am done with the internship,let me put down all the blogs and the diary entries right here, site development you see..:P

KKR, the Kolkata Riders, are the strongest brand name in IPL and also financially the most profitable team. As the IPL 5 is nearing and the frenzy is reaching its top, let’s have a look at where they stand on the big platform. First of all let’s talk about the marketing mix adopted by the parent company Red Chillies entertainment. In the 1st four editions of the Indian Premier League they positioned themselves as the team who will fight till their last breath, till they succeed, come what may! I would say that they did fight out till the end but did not have much to their credentials to testify it. However, in this edition of the 5th IPL T20, they have come with a new marketing campaign of “New Dawn New Knights”. In an attempt to revamp their lost image and connect more with their home crowd they have repositioned themselves and their fresh team as the knights with a shining armor (well, in this case bats) of the new dawn. They have decided to cover up their cheer girls and they have taken a bold step (considering the fact that cheergirls are synonymous to glamor, pom poms and miniskirts) of draping them in full nine yards and make them sway to the tunes of Rabindra Sangeet. The flavor will also be improved with a fleet of dhakis, the Bengali drummers and traditional dancers. Even if this change doesn’t go down well with the beer-guzzling and the cuss words-mouthing young IPL followers, it is certainly bound to impress Mamata Didi and Co.

Apart from that the new look logo was also revealed by Shahrukh Khan, which retained the original purple and golden of the KKR’s. Now talking about the team, we have a very good and aggressive leader and captain in the form of Gautam Gambhir, A good, well balanced side some excellent batsmen in the top order, outstanding all rounders like Jacques Kallis, Ryan ten Doeschate and Shakid Al Hasan,  and of course some good seamers and spinners as well. The latest addition to the team, Brendon Mccullum, the dashing wicketkeeper batsman and the promising Sunil Narine also looks a great addition to the already good-looking side. The new coach Trevor Bayliss, under whose guidance Sri lanka went on to the finals of the ICC World Cup 2011, is also expected to improve the game of the Knights and bring stability to this side. I would in fact say, that barring maybe a few good seamers, we have arguably the best team on papers. But, to prove the same they will have to give themselves all out on the field. 

With a wonderful franchise owner like Shahrukh Khan and Jay Mehta, with the best marketing strategies, the Bollywood tie-ups, a huge home stadium, Eden gardens, and of course some of the best players in the world of this form of cricket, they have to deliver and at least aim to be in the top four.  Last year there was a bit of bashing by the fans, but they managed to bring them back to the stadium with a good overall performance. In the end, let us all keep our fingers crossed and hope they do emerge out to be the best team in the competition.

Signing off,
Nirvaan