Star Sports urges people to wrap up work ‘Fatafat’ for inaugural IPL match

The new TVC promotes Indian Premier League’s first match on March 26 between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders.

With the Indian Premier League (IPL) starting this weekend (March 26), Star Sports has launched a promo for its inaugural match. A part of its #YehAbNormalHai campaign, the new TVC highlights the excitement across India for the IPL.

The ad shows people working really fast, so that they are free in the evening to watch the match. The ad says, “Fatafat kaam karke #SuperShaam enjoy karna, #YehAbNormalHai!” It promotes IPL’s first match between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Speaking about the campaign, Sanjog Gupta, head – sports, Disney Star, had earlier said, "The TATA IPL 2022 campaign seeks to recruit millions of TV viewers and digital users across the country. Structured in four phases, the campaign turns the spotlight on fan frenzy and unique situations typically associated with the tournament, as well as the distinct proposition of this year's edition."

"#YehAbNormalHai adequately represents this, tying it with the social context of people discovering a ‘new normal’ in their lives. The launch phase of the campaign strives to create a sense of excitement for the start of the 15th season, which promises to be the biggest ever."

The first ad in the campaign featured MS Dhoni, cricket legend and former captain of India’s men’s team, in a new avatar. Directed by the well known Vasan Bala, it showcased Dhoni as a bus driver, who has stopped the bus in the middle of a very busy road. A traffic policeman arrives at the scene and questions Dhoni’s actions, to which the latter responds that they are watching the ‘super over’ of an intense IPL game. The policeman treats this as a normal occurrence during IPL and drives away, reinstating the fact that this fandom is normal for IPL matches.

In another ad, Dhoni features as an old man. When someone calls to speak to him over the phone, he makes an excuse that he has just passed away. The ad says, ‘Bahanebaazi Ab Normal Hai’.