The season one of the Entertainers Cricket League (ECL) saw the massive engagement of Indian digital creators including Elvis Yadav, Munawar Faruqui and more. Together with it, we saw an interesting blend of sports and entertainment. With the conclusion of the second season of the ECL, we witnessed a whole new exciting influencer-driven sport.
We spoke with the men behind this revolutionary sport, Himanshu Chandnani, Co-Founder, Entertainers Cricket League and Anil Kumar, Co-Founder, Entertainers Cricket League. Read the note:
Q) A note on the concept of ECL.
Himanshu: So, talking about the concept of ECL, as we know, in this growing digital world, influencers are growing and gaining lots and lots of traction all over the place. With Bigg Boss OTT 2 getting famous and OTT platforms becoming interested in investing in these influencers, we thought of making a sporting IP, similar to how WWE was made in the US or how boxing fights like Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson worked. So, we thought about what would work in India—being a cricket-loving nation, we decided to get these influencers to play cricket. So we thought of getting these influencers to play cricket and while talking we got to know that most of them used to play when they were in school and college.
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Q) What’s new in Season 2?
Anil Kumar: Talking about what’s new in ECL T10 Season 2, we have more matches, a better look and feel, and the games are getting even more exciting. Additionally, we have introduced English commentary. This time, we are going to live in multiple nations. ECL T10 Season 2 is streaming on Willow in North America. We are also streaming on Action Sports in Nepal, and Bangladesh, also in India, we are streaming on DD Sports, Sony, YouTube, and Waves and the distribution has gotten bigger and bigger.
Q) How do you see the segment growth over the years?
Anil Kumar and Himanshu: Talking about the segment, influencer-led sports or influencer-led non-fiction IPs have seen excellent growth, especially post-ECL Season 1. Since then, I’ve observed multiple platforms and IPs featuring influencers or social media celebrities. People love watching them, whether they are playing cricket, hosting talk shows, or starring in fiction shows. The segment is doing exceptionally well because audiences are highly engaged with whatever these influencers are doing.
Q) Business model behind the league.
Anil Kumar: So it’s similar to IPL, we have team owners, we have sponsors, we have broadcasting rights, so ECL is very, very similar to what IPL is based on.
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Q) How do you see the future of influencer-driven enterprises?
Himanshu: As I mentioned earlier, this segment is gaining significant traction, and views are rapidly increasing. Many creators and teams are working on developing more IPs. JioHotstar have introduced a segment called Sparks, where they are bringing in influencers and stand-up comedians to create a variety of shows, ranging from reality to non-reality formats. Audiences are eager for more content featuring influencers, making this a growing space for digital entertainment.
