Chhetri, Bhutia, Bumrah, and Manu Bhaker team up to find Indian football's next big hero

In their quest to find the next great Indian football star, Sunil Chhetri and Bhaichung Bhutia are joined by Jasprit Bumrah, PV Sindhu, Manu Bhaker, and many more.

Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 is going to kickstart this Friday and the whole country is wondering who the next football star will turn out to be. The ad campaign promoting the league is also asking the same question.

"Agla Hero Kaun?" (Who will be the next hero?) is the new season's promotional campaign from the ISL. The initiative is spearheaded by Bhaichung Bhutia and Sunil Chhetri, two legendary figures in Indian football. The commercial begins on a football pitch with Bhutia playfully asking Chhetri, "Socha hai, humare baad Indian football ka agla hero kaun banega?" (Have you ever wondered who will be the next hero of Indian football after us?) To this, Chhetri responds, "India se poochte hain" (Let's ask India). 

The next frame shows legendry duo popping up the question to the former Indian Cricket team coach Ravi Shastri, known for his "party animal" persona, juggling 'tea' glasses as if assembling a football team, blending humour with his iconic coaching style. Featured in various brand ads in the past like CRED, he takes on a quirky role in this ad as well. 

As the question is sought from Olympic medallist and ace shooter Manu Bhaker, while she prepares to shoot a ball through a football launcher, she suggests the name of NorthEast United's Parthib Gogoi, expressing her preference for a player whose shots she says "go like a bullet".  

Bumrah seems confused while picking his best player, to which Bhutia playfully says, ‘Kitna swing karte ho yaar?’ (To what extent do you swing?)

Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) is also seen goal-keeping in the ad, mirroring his crucial catch during the India vs. South Africa T20 World Cup final.

John Abraham and Ranbir Kapoor, owners of ISL clubs, are also seen arguing over the question while playing fussball, with each claiming the next hero would be from their team only. Abraham is the owner of NorthEast United FC, while Kapoor is the owner of Mumbai City Football Club. The latter has clearly come out victorious on more occasions than the former in head-to-head matches.

To resolve the argument, the duo approaches Manoda, referring to him as a football legend, to which the soccer player replies, “Agla hero West Bengal se hoga” (The next hero will be from West Bengal).

"If you want to be the next hero, don't take the pressure," Chhetri advises the aspiring football stars in the commercial. "Just play the game for fun and ignore the outside world as much as possible. Everyone is going to say something, but you should just play for fun," he adds.

At the end of the ad, Shastri delivers his signature parting line, humorously hinting that the next big hero could also be a coach.

To deepen the impact of this campaign, two regional campaigns with the same theme have also been launched in Kolkata and Kerala.  

In Kolkata, three club leaders are spearheading the campaign: Subhasish Bose, defender of Mohun Bagan Super Giant; Cleiton Silva, Captain of East Bengal FC; and Samad Ali Mallick, Captain of Mohammedan Sporting Club.

Helming the Kerala campaign is IM Vijayan, a former footballer from the state, and PR Sreejesh, a former goalkeeper for the Indian hockey team.

The first match of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season will be played on September 13, pitting Mumbai City FC against Mohun Bagan Super Giant. Mohun Bagan Super Giant, East Bengal FC, Mohammedan Sporting Club, and 12 other teams will compete in the 13th annual Indian Super League (ISL) season beginning September 13, 2024. 

ISL 2024-25 season will kick off on Friday, September 13, 2024, with a clash between ISL League Winners Mohun Bagan Super Giant and ISL Cup Winners Mumbai City FC at 7:30 pm IST at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata.

Sports 18—3 (English, Hindi, Bengali, and Malayalam), Asianet Plus (Malayalam), and JioCinema (English, Hindi, Bengali, and Malayalam) will all broadcast the ISL live and free of charge. 

Additionally Sports 18—1, Sports 18—2 and Sports 18—Khel will also broadcast live certain ISL matches.

With this ad campaign, JioCinema subtly promotes itself as the ultimate destination for sports entertainment. Having secured the broadcasting rights for the Indian Premier League (IPL), Olympics, and now ICC tournaments following Reliance's acquisition from Disney, JioCinema positions itself as a comprehensive platform for all major sporting events.