Sometimes I wonder if I am watching a T20 cricket match or an advertisement show on a mobile platform.

No, it is not about the commercial break between balls in an IPL-kind of a T20 match. It is about the players themselves being the mobile advertisement platforms now.

You watch a batsman getting ready to face a ball. A close-angle camera shot shows you the batsman endorsing at least four to six brands on his jersey – two brands on the chest, one each on shoulders and one on each side of the helmet. When he shows the bat to camera or faces a ball, you see a brand there also. A close look at the wicket shows you some other product there.

If you are forced to watch the back of a bowler or the batsman, two more different companies are there.

As the match progresses, the batsman sends the ball to the boundary line. The person fielding there makes an attempt to stop the ball from touching the line. If he is forced to displace those triangular plastic wedges on the boundary, you will be shown an advertiser’s logo displayed on that.

The players from the batting team run between the wickets, and one of them gets run out. However, the umpire is unsure of it, and the camera focuses on him now. It is time for him to seek the decision from third umpire. You prominently see an advertisement of a beverage on his shirt also. Whether the decision is out or not, the huge TV screen in the stadium displays that along with a brand’s name.

That is why when cricket becomes a ‘property’, the player becomes ‘hot property’.

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