The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), March to May 2023, kicked off with a coin toss by captains Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings) and Hardik Pandya (Gujarat Titans), in Ahmedabad, on March 31, and over 20 crore Indians tuned in to catch the excitement. Beyond being just a cricket tournament, the IPL is a cultural phenomenon that has captured the hearts of millions of fans worldwide. It has contributed significantly to India’s economy through sports tourism, employment generation, and infrastructure development. The fact is that the IPL is one of India’s most significant cultural and economic events. But beyond the excitement and spectacle of the sport, an event as big as the IPL also has a significant environmental footprint. As we know, India has committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2070, and has also committed to reducing the emissions Intensity of its GDP by 45% by 2030. Given this context, an examination of the environmental impact of India’s biggest summer festival and an exploration of ways to make it more sustainable are ideal.
Recent years have seen growing recognition of the impact of sports on climate change and vice-versa. Although international efforts have been made to address the environmental impact of large-scale sports events, including the International Olympic Committee’s mandatory commitment to climate action for candidate cities and the F1’s commitment to switch to 100% sustainable fuel by 2026, the question whether enough is being done remains.
