A Pakistani man spent 20 years of his life with a glimmer of hope that one day his country will beat India in the men’s cricket World Cup (WC). Although the protagonist witnessed successive defeats of his beloved country in 5 WCs, when the sixth time arrived, the man now old with grey hair, shouted “Mauka, Mauka”.
This is the story of the famous “Mauka Mauka” advertisement which got nearly 2.3 million ( 23 lakhs) views in just three weeks on Youtube, according to a report by The Cricket Monthly. The ad popped up in 2015 before the India-Pakistan game. Created by Star Sports India as a television campaign, the ‘Mauka Mauka’ was heartening to the innumerable cricket fans living on both sides of the border. It intensified the high-voltage encounter between the two nations on the field.
In order to promote its broadcasting campaign, Star Sports India initially planned it as a standalone advertisement just for the India-Pakistan game. However, after observing the increasing popularity, the channel launched 'Mauka Mauka' as a series of advertisements and broadcasted them before every match of the Indian cricket team. The series of campaigns of course had an attitude of mockery towards every team that faced India in the group stage in the 2015 cricket WCs.
However, the immense popularity of the campaign made us realise the inherent relationship between cricket and advertorial campaigns. After 1990, with the massive economic tide, cricket commercials began to impact the lovers of the gentlemen’s game. It reconstructed cricket and the imagery of the cricketers. A lot of millennials growing up in the 2000s can still recall the campaign launched by Boost. "Boost is the secret of my energy”- the words from the master blaster, Sachin Tendulkar influenced many into buying a bottle of the health drink.
Like in 2015, the advertisement campaigns have once again attracted the news headlines before an encounter between India and Pakistan. The match is scheduled to take place on Sunday. Before this game, the advertisement rates jumped by 15-20 per cent, according to a report by Business Standard.
The atmosphere before an India-Pakistan game has always been electrifying. Earlier, the fans used to chant slogans in the field. But now, with the use of social media, supporters from both nations share trolls and banter against each other. The statements from players of both sides often charge the fans as well. This time, the entire atmosphere has been tinged by current controversies and the war of words between the cricket boards of both nations.
The War of Words
The Secretary of the Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI) and the Asian Cricket Council Jay Shah said that the Indian Cricket Team will not visit Pakistan to play in the Asia Cup 2023. Instead, the son of India’s Home Minister, demanded the tournament be arranged on a neutral venue, as reported by The Hindustan Times.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) expressed their disappointment over Shah’s comment. Few from the country’s cricketing fraternity expressed that if India does not come to Pakistan to play the Asia Cup 2023, the Pakistan cricket team will not visit India to play the next ICC Cricket WC in return.
The decision taken by Shah also attracted criticisms from veteran cricketing personalities like Wasim Akram. The veteran left-handed Pakistan pacer said India cannot dictate to Pakistan how to play cricket.
Against this backdrop, both nations are going head-to-head in the T20 WC on Sunday. The controversies have added more spice to the game. Supporters from both sides are gearing up. In this situation, commercial advertisements are witnessing massive booms. Earlier, the broadcasters were doubtful about the revenue of the tournament due to the unfavorable timing of the Indian Cricket Team. But now, with the fresh infusion of controversies, they are expecting a massive jump in the revenues earned from the match.
