Doubts in ad industry over IPL success chances

By Sanjay Rajan

MUMBAI, India (Reuters) - Some experts in India's thriving advertising industry are skeptical about whether the cricket board's multi-million dollar Twenty20 league will be an unqualified financial success.

The officially sanctioned Indian Premier League (IPL) is expected to showcase many of the sport's global big names, including Australia's Shane Warne.

The venture starts on April 18 and will be played over 44 days in eight cities with 59 matches aimed at prime-time television for Indian audiences.

More than 80 international cricketers are expected to feature in a players' "auction" in Mumbai on Wednesday with each of the eight franchises having a cap of $5 million for a maximum of eight players each.

However, some experts from the advertising field say the IPL will remain a domestic tournament despite its foreign input and new city-based franchise format and that there are not many takers for the domestic game.

Indian advertising guru Prahlad Kakkar told Reuters: "The Twenty20 format is exciting and a new generation will grow on it, but the Ranji Trophy, with its share of international players for their respective states, does not have any following."

The Ranji Trophy, India's premier first-class domestic championship, is usually played to a handful of spectators and a negligible television audience.

The Twenty20 format caught the imagination of India, a country of 1.1 billion with the largest global cricket audience and multi-million dollar deals, after their young team emerged surprise winners at the inaugural World Cup last year.