IPL has been a mass entertainer since it was first conceptualized by BCCI in 2008. It has struck a chord with the cricket fanatic people of India.
NITIE has cashed in on the spirit of IPL and has come up with its very own NPL in 2011, a first of its kind annual cricket event among the B-Schools. One always envies the extravagance and glamour surrounding the IPL. NPL Forum since its inception in October 2010 has been successful in simulating the IPL atmosphere and providing an opportunity to the cricket enthusiasts of NITIE to experience the same. It starts off right from team bidding, player auctioning & marketing and culminates into the actual cricket on the picturesque field of NITIE. Just the name of NPL generates a buzz in the campus and brings out the enthusiasm of students which is otherwise hidden in the tight schedules of the aspiring MBA grads.
Every year in the month of February, NITIE witnesses the NPL cricket extravaganza. The euphoria surrounding this event makes it a grand success. NPL is not merely a cricket tournament restricted to teams competing with each other; rather it gives an opportunity to the cricket aficionados to put to test their managerial, strategizing, marketing and leadership skills. The participants have to work as a team, they have to handle pressure and ultimately work towards achieving their objective. The teams are selected through auctions and the team owners have to be judicious with the allocation of the resources.
NPL aims at inculcating within the players the virtues of team spirit, sportsmanship, perseverance and respect for fellow men through the game of cricket. Another objective is to increase interaction between seniors and juniors and people from different colleges through the medium of cricket.
The NPL season is divided into 5 major events:
Bawaal - the inter-section Cricket Tournament which provides players an opportunity to showcase their talent and prove their mettle to the prospective team-owners.
Team Auction – One of the most interesting parts of the NPL season, this event witnesses astute strategies and heavy bidding for purchase of 6 franchisees (
Bangalore Falcons,
Mumbai Mavericks,
Punjab Warriors,
Delhi Dabanggs,
Chennai United and
Lucknow Nawabs in NPL 4.0)
Domestic Player Auctions: In this event, the 6 franchisees clash with each other to buy the best talent from NITIE with a fixed amount of virtual money at their disposal.
Foreign Player Auctions: After capturing the most exciting talents from NITIE, the franchisees fill their roster of foreign players. Foreign players are students from other B-Schools like SJMSOM, NMIMS, SPJIMR and many more, invited to play in the NPL.
NPL Tournament: Spread over a week, the tournament sees 6 franchisees divided into 2 pools of 3 teams with 2 teams from each pool progressing to semifinals. The tournament gets huge amount of support from the students who turn up in large numbers to cheer their teams and enjoy the enthralling cricket on offer. The franchisees also apply all the Marketing and Branding skills learnt in the classroom to promote their teams. From amusing taglines, to flamboyant jerseys, to intense photo shoots, to innovative banners, to female Brand Managers and Brand Ambassadors, the teams do not leave a single arrow in their quiver of creativity.
NPL, which started as a simple cricket tournament has already attained cult status within 3 seasons and has become the most anticipated event in NITIE. It has been acknowledged by InsideIIM.com (a recognized MBA forum) as one of the 10 things that makes NITIE, Mumbai extra special among the Indian B-schools.
NITIE Premier League is organized in a 20 day window from late January to early February.
