Cricket as a political tool for India’s Narendra Modi

“Cricket is an Indian game accidentally discovered by the English.” The first sentence of Ashis Nandy’s book “The Tao of Cricket,” published more than 30 years ago, now seems more accurate than ever.

India hosts the quadrennial Cricket World Cup, which took place on October 5, 2023, as by far the dominant power in the world’s second-most watched sport (after soccer).

The sport is increasingly driven by the demands of Indian administrators, whether in India or the dozen countries where it is a significant activity. They are backed by the revenues generated by the vast Indian television audience passionate about cricket. The six-week cricket World Cup, in which the world’s ten strongest national teams competed in the one-day format, was the richest, most watched, and most overtly politicized ever held.

Nearly 712 million Indians watched the match, with bets on the outcomes reaching incredible levels, and people everywhere engaging and discussing what they expected to happen. Unsurprisingly, many Indian companies competed for viewing spots and attention, with unicorns like Upstox, a financial technology company, and Dream11, a gaming company, joining veterans like MRF Tyres among the 18 official sponsors of the event. In addition, the World Cup provided a tableau of India’s economic emergency and the disruption it is causing to a sport that is sometimes described as the only shared passion of Indians.

With so much heat surrounding the match, it’s no surprise there was a lot of activity – streaming platforms, arguments over viewing rights, parties hosted, and betting galore taking place. With India as the odds-on favorites to win, we saw a huge amount of online sports betting, both in pre-tournament outrights and match-specific – with many people looking to win money and to have fun by taking a flutter and testing their ability to predict the outcomes accurately. Okay, India didn’t take home the final prize, but there was still an enormous amount of enjoyment on the day!

Cricket is the symbol of India

Cricket has long been considered a symbol of India, even as the country has changed. Nandy’s book, published in 1989, is remembered for its opening aphorism but not for its argument. The argument was that cricket’s agrarian roots and leisurely rhythms presented a “critique of urban industrial society” highly relevant to underemployed Hindus. If there was ever any truth in it, it was already being swept away by a modest rise in India’s economic prospects during the 1980s, in cricket and elsewhere. The first World Cup hosted by the country in 1987 was an early demonstration of this.

It also set a benchmark. By far the most significant international event hosted by India, the tournament has returned to the country several times, in 1987, 1996, and 2011, and each time, it has left a mark on the country’s progress. The 1996 edition highlighted the impressive growth initiated by the liberal reforms passed in 1991. It is remembered for a fierce advertising battle between Coca-Cola and Pepsi, with unlimited access to the Indian market.

The 2011 contest marked another change. The Indian cricket industry has exploded thanks to a new domestic tournament, the Indian Premier League (IPL), which uses a U.S.-style franchise model. A new confidence was also attracting attention. When the Indian team won the tournament, Indian commentators proclaimed a new era of Indian dominance.

As India reached the World Cup final last Nov. 19, Modi attended the event with his de facto deputy, Amit Shah, another former Gujarat cricket chief; and Mr. Shah’s son, Jay Shah, who heads the Indian cricket board. Cricket under Modi, like so much else, has been centralized and co-opted.

In light of these World Cup milestones, what happened after last October’s big event? The answer is: more growth! The tournament’s advertising revenues were between Rs. 20 billion and Rs. 22 billion ($240-264 million), at least 48% more than what the previous World Cup, held in England, generated. These figures explain the dominance of the Indian cricket board. In 2022, it sold the IPL broadcasting rights for five years for $6 billion. Its total revenues exceeded those of its closest rival, the England and Wales Cricket Board, by 44%.

The development of India’s cricket in recent years

Cricket’s popularity attracts political attention, as the tournament also demonstrated. Moreover, in recent decades, the rise in the number of television viewers and then smartphone owners, which has taken cricket from a few big cities to the far corners of India, has dramatically increased its political power. Sharad Pawar, India’s agriculture minister from 2004 to 2014, led cricket in Maharashtra, India, and, through the International Cricket Council, worldwide. As chief minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi took charge of the state cricket board in 2009. As prime minister, he has achieved something new: his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) systematically taking charge of cricket. However, the Indian cricket leadership turns a deaf ear to complaints about this. They regard cricket as an arm of national power, and their main objective is to increase their control over it.

In the past, ICC media revenues were shared equally among cricketing nations. Between 2024 and 2027, India will pocket 39%. It is unclear how the money is spent. Most of the spoils of Indian cricket are given to state boards, often run by politicians. Very few of them submit audited accounts, which has caused some upset.

Finally, despite Australia winning the 2023 World Cup, we can say that the cricketing world has accepted the reality of Indian dominance; no one disputes their right to enrich themselves and reshape their game. However, great power is supposed to bring greater responsibility, which Indian leaders don’t always display. It will be interesting to see how this develops in the months and years to come.