Why the past is powering the next growth phase of sports in India

In sport and media, brand value is rarely created at moments of peak attention. It is unlocked over a period of time, when familiarity cuts through clutter, when trust becomes a premium currency, and when emotional relevance delivers returns that conventional media metrics struggle to explain.

Indian cricket is entering one such phase. As the sports ecosystem becomes more commercial, fragmented and format-heavy, audiences are displaying a clear behavioural shift: they are gravitating towards familiarity with players, stories and rivalries already embedded in memory. 

What is often dismissed as nostalgia is, in reality, one of the most dependable commercial engines in sport.

Globally, some of the most valuable sporting heroes are built not on current dominance, but on enduring memory. Michael Jordan continues to generate billions of dollars for Nike decades after retirement. 

Tiger Woods remains golf’s biggest commercial draw despite no longer topping leaderboards. Roger Federer, now retired, is still among the world’s most marketable athletes. 

David Beckham, out of competitive football for over a decade, continues to be a cultural and commercial force.

This behaviour is even more pronounced in India. As the cricket ecosystem becomes more commercial, fragmented and format-heavy, audiences are gravitating towards what they know and trust – players, rivalries and narratives already embedded in collective memory. 

That shift is visible in the sustained brand demand for Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni. Long after retirement and reduced on-field presence, respectively, both remain among the most sought-after brand ambassadors in the country. 

Their commercial relevance is not driven by current performance but by decades of emotional equity built across generations.

The pattern is consistent. Fans do not disengage when greatness fades; they deepen their relationship with it. Memory compounds value. For brands, such loyalty translates into familiarity, trust and predictability—attributes that have become increasingly scarce in cluttered, algorithm-driven media environments.

Cricket, familiarity and the Indian consumer

Cricket in India is uniquely positioned for this dynamic. Unlike newer sports markets where fandom is seasonal, Indian cricket consumption is generational. Relationships with players are built over decades, not tournaments.

For Indian audiences, these players are not simply former stars. They are markers of personal history: childhood evenings in front of the television, college debates, family rituals, and shared national moments. That depth of emotional investment cannot be manufactured quickly, and it delivers something increasingly scarce in modern media environments: trust.

Why nostalgia-led sport works for brands

First, predictability and brand safety. Established cricketing icons come with decades of public familiarity and goodwill. Unlike emerging stars whose form, visibility or perception can fluctuate rapidly, legends offer stability – an increasingly valuable trait for brands operating in high-scrutiny environments.

Second, consistent engagement across demographics. Nostalgia-led sport tends to draw shared audiences – parents and children, older fans and first-time viewers – delivering reach with resonance rather than just volume. This shared consumption amplifies impact well beyond impressions.

Third, deeper cultural association. Viewers are not just watching a match; they are reconnecting with who they were when these players first mattered. 

That emotional layering enhances brand recall and association in ways that purely transactional sponsorships rarely achieve.

Finally, lower cost of introduction. Decades of built-in awareness mean brands can spend less on explanation and more on activation—shifting budgets from visibility to storytelling, from reach to meaning.

Reframing Legends League Cricket

It is fair to acknowledge that earlier nostalgia-driven formats in India delivered mixed outcomes. Execution was inconsistent, production values varied, and the ecosystem was not built for today’s digital-first consumption patterns. But those limitations were structural and temporal—not a rejection of the consumer insight itself.

The environment has since changed materially.

Cricket consumption is now platform-agnostic. Sponsorship models are more sophisticated. Production quality and storytelling standards have risen sharply. Audiences are far more receptive to entertainment-led sports experiences that sit alongside elite competition rather than compete with it.

At the same time, the market itself is correcting. Regulatory tightening around real-money gaming has removed a price-insensitive category that previously distorted sports valuations.

While disruptive in the short term, this shift has reopened premium sports properties to both traditional and new-age brands across fintech, consumer technology, D2C, automotive, BFSI and FMCG – categories that value outcomes over noise.

Assets are now being evaluated on return, relevance and recall, not just scarcity. In this reset, platforms that combine dependable reach with emotional depth are structurally advantaged.

Legends League Cricket sits squarely in this space.

Why the timing matters

The January–March window has traditionally been a high-intent period for advertisers in India. Consumer mindsets are oriented towards fresh starts, new commitments and considered spending. 

It also precedes the country’s largest cricket property, allowing brands to establish a presence before advertising clutter peaks.

For companies operating on an April–March financial cycle, this quarter is outcome-driven rather than experimental. 

Companies make marketing decisions to close the year strongly. Platforms that can deliver both scale and emotional connection tend to punch above their weight during this phase.

Nostalgia as strategy, not sentiment

Nostalgia-led sports engagement works because it is rooted in shared memory rather than manufactured influence. In an era dominated by fleeting impressions and algorithmic discovery, familiarity provides continuity. It turns attention into affinity and affinity into trust.

It is in this context that legends-led cricket formats assume renewed relevance. A well-structured Legends League is not an exercise in looking backward; it is a platform that institutionalises familiarity at scale on a less cluttered media canvas. 

For brands, it offers the rare combination of dependable reach, cultural resonance and brand-safe storytelling—deliverable at a price point that reflects value rather than hype. In doing so, it turns nostalgia from sentiment into strategy.

(Our guest author, Gautam Chatwal, is the Vice President and Head of Sales & Marketing that works for the sports arm of APL - which has interests in Hockey, Cricket, Tennis, Table Tennis, Chess, and Padel.)