ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the geopolitics of the game of cricket in India. The discussion provides historical and social content for the importance of the sport in India, documents the development of the Indian Premier League in 2008, and reflects on the power and influence India holds in cricket internationally. The chapter examines the geopolitical use of cricket’s emotive passion, and its substantial commercialization and consumption, in navigating the ongoing tensions with its adversaries, China and Pakistan. Specifically, the replacement of China’s Vivo brand with India’s Tata brand as the title sponsor of the Indian Premier League in 2020 is analyzed.
