Star Sports bowls a new ad for upcoming India vs Pakistan ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match

Star Sports has its work cut out. For years, the leading sports network banked on its Mauka campaign to promote a World Cup match between India and Pakistan; not that it needed any promotion in the first place.

However, the life of this campaign depended on India’s 100% success rate against its arch-rivals in World Cup matches. Unfortunately, the streak ended at the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, when Pakistan defeated India.

In a new campaign, Star Sports is using the pain of that loss against Pakistan as the core idea. Residents of the fictional town of Dardanpur endure pain-inducing events effortlessly and India’s cricket victories are celebrated with literal shows of strength. But the loss to the arch-rivals brings them to tears.

Sharma ji’s son pleads with Team India to right the wrongs and register a win against Pakistan.

“There is no contest bigger than India versus Pakistan in a cricket match, and it gets even bigger at an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Our first promo illustrates the happiness and pain that India’s win or loss against Pakistan inflicts upon even the strongest of fans. As the greatest rivalry in cricket sets to open the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, we hope to bind the nation in #BelieveinBlue and cheer together for Team India,” said a Star Sports spokesperson.

India locks horns with Pakistan in the tournament’s opener on October 23, 2022.