(Cricket news) The thrilling day of TATA IPL 2023 Mini Auction in Kochi witnessed high-octane drama with franchises breaking the bank on all-rounders. The auction recorded a significant 25% growth in cumulative reach (live, cricket and build-up programming included) with 50.6 million viewers tuning in to watch the event live on Star Sports, the official television broadcaster of IPL 2023. The IPL 2021 mini auction recorded 40.6 million viewers. The total consumption this year also registered a 10% growth with 1.59 billion minutes as compared to IPL 2021 mini auction which garnered 1.44 billion minutes.
To enhance the viewing experience and bring fans closer to the auction table, Star Sports announced a stellar panel for the IPL 2023 Auctions featuring some of the most renowned experts who have in-depth knowledge of auction strategies and player recruitment. Some of the panelists for the mini auction were Ian Bishop, Tom Moody, Aaron Finch, Simon Katich, David Hussey, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Subramaniam Badrinath, Irfan Pathan, MSK Prasad, and Amol Mazumdar. Star Sports also invited passionate fans and fan clubs to the studios to watch the auctions LIVE with their favorite heroes.
Speaking about the increase in cumulative reach, a Star Sports spokesperson said, “This year’s auction panelists on Star Sports were handpicked to provide the best insights to our viewers. To cater to the needs of our diverse audience, we also provided a comprehensive broadcast of the auction in five different languages – English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu & Kannada. Furthermore, our social campaign, #AuctionStar trended as high as #3 on Twitter and was in the Top 10 for the duration of the auction.”
England’s Sam Curran emerged as the most expensive player with Punjab Kings snapping him for INR 18.50 crore. Australian all-rounder Cameron Green was roped in by Mumbai Indians for INR 17.5 crore with Ben Stokes landing with Chennai Super Kings for INR 16.25 crore.
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