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Kings XI Punjab COO Fraser Castellino: On-field success most important

The KXIP COO speaks about the factors that govern the success of an IPL franchise.

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Kings XI Punjab had a succesful run in the 2014 edition of the IPL in which they finished as runners-up © IANS
Kings XI Punjab had a succesful run in the 2014 edition of the IPL in which they finished as runners-up © IANS

What goes into creating a successful Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise? Nishad Pai Vaidya caught up with Fraser Castellino, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Kings XI Punjab and spoke to him about the various factors that go into making a successful unit. Though the IPL adds all the glitz and glamour, it is the success on the field that is most important to a franchise.

Managing an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise can be taxing, but it is all about striking the right balance on and off the field. When you talk of Kings XI Punjab, the runners-up in this year’s edition of the cash-rich league, they had a unit with the right balance, which played some fantastic and entertaining cricket through the season. But, behind the scenes, there is a lot more that goes into managing a franchise — its costs, its revenue, the fan base etc. Fraser Castellino, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Kings XI, will tell you that it all depends on how smartly you manage everything. Though there are many factors that govern the success of a franchise, it is the performances on the field of play that are the most important.

The IPL came up as a novel concept in 2008 with sports teams up for sale. These franchises, most of them being corporate, faced a new challenge of managing a sports team. Sustaining it in the long run will require profits to flow in. Castellino says that it isn’t ‘rocket science’ and like any other business, it is about “managing costs and revenue.” He says, “I am a business manager. So, I am not a sports fan who is trying to do business. To me, in any franchise, a sports franchise or any other type that you try to run, the idea ultimately is to make money. When you setup a sports franchise in particular, what I have learnt over the years, is that you need to be smart about how you attract money and how you spend money. Those are the two basics that work in any business.”

Buying players: Majority of it is about the players on the field and the kind of team a franchise can build. To achieve consistency and success on the field, you need to a side that gives you a very good shot at the ultimate. “With a sports franchise (it’s about) how you buy players, as they form 70 percent of your cost budget. How smartly you buy players and at what price? Of course, there are no guarantees in life, but you have to buy players that will take you as close to winning the tournament as possible. How smartly you do that is the biggest part of your job. Kings XI demonstrated this well, we bought smart, young players at the right price, who delivered results on the field,” says Castellino.

Managing expenditure: In any business, you have to spend with a sound strategy and an IPL franchise is no different. For example some franchise spend huge money on merchandise — at times fans are given flags etc for free. That does entail a lot of expenditure from the franchise’s side. “There is a fine line between marketing a team and actually having fans who are passionate who will spend money, buy tickets, come to the game, wear your fan T-shirts etc. So, how you balance that and develop your franchise so that the fans come together is a very important part,” said Castellino.

Revenue: An interesting fact is that 60-70 percent of an IPL side’s revenue comes from the centre i.e. the various central sponsorships, money from broadcasters etc. An IPL side can make money on its own through local sponsorships. Castellino says, “There is a huge opportunity to make money from local sponsorships. So, how you sell the team sponsorships in terms of your jersey, your trousers, the helmets, the caps — how well you sell that, at what price you sell it and with what promise do you sell it is a function of the management. That becomes a very important part.” Then, the franchise also has to build a hospitable atmosphere in the stadiums to attract fans. “The second important part is your match revenue — how well you develop your stadiums, what kind of facilities and infrastructure you provide, what hospitality you offer, how well you look after your sponsors, all this determines, how many fans will come in, participate and buy tickets to watch your matches,” Castellino explains.

Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta... Celebrities add to the IPL, but it is important to balance it out © IANS
Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta… Celebrities add to the IPL, but it is important to balance it out © IANS

Celebrity factor: The IPL fostered a marriage between Bollywood and cricket. The presence of film stars adds to the glitz and glamour, attracting a larger audience to the sport. Castellino acknowledges this factor, but says it is important to balance it out. He says, Bollywood is very very important because we follow celebrities. For example, when Shah Rukh Khan comes to a game, a lot of people come to watch cricket but also to see Shah Rukh Khan. I will not deny that it has a big impact. When Priety Zinta comes to a game, there are loads of fans who feel excited, [some] get an opportunity to be seated near her, take a picture with her.”

The most important factor – success on the field: Whatever measures the management may take off the field, the franchise would find success if the team performs on the field. “Ultimately, it has to be about the cricket. Kings XI demonstrated that very well this year,” Castellino says. Kings XI did not have huge stars in their ranks. They had promising young international players in Glenn Maxwell and David Miller. Though George Bailey has been a regular feature in Australia’s plans, he was relatively unknown in India. Then there was a Virender Sehwag, a veteran searching for that magic again. And, there was a group of youngsters waiting to make a name for themselves. When put together, they formed a successful side that played an exciting brand of cricket. Miller excelled for Kings XI in a big way and Maxwell became the “Dream of Kings XI” as Castellino describes.

Castellino says it is about creating stars on the field of play, “It is important to have a balanced team of people who can deliver results. Once, you deliver results, you make stars. Akshar Patel for example. Look at the way Manan [Vohra] came in and played. Is he a star or not? Of course he is a star. To do well on the field is most important. Of course, if you have celebrities, Bollywood and you leverage that well, it only adds to it. But the main thing is about the cricket and about creating stars from the team that you have. ”

Kings XI produced the results in 2014 after a few tough seasons. They won 11 out of 14 matches in the league phase and won all the way to the final. Castellio is happy with the wave of support they received this year with many fans hoping for their ultimate victory. “We’ve been understated and want to remain that way.  We will go out and play our brand of cricket and the result will take care of itself,” Castellino concludes.

(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_44)

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