IPL 2018 is already underway as social media platform Snapchat makes its debut with the annual cricketing event in India. Snapchat announced its partnership with four IPL teams: Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore following which all these teams joined the platform’s official Stories page yesterday.
The four IPL teams will now regularly feature on Snapchat’s Discover section during the course of the IPL. Users would be able to search for their favourite reams and subscribe to view their official stories. In addition to that fans of these teams can show their support by using the custom filters, stickers, and lenses that Snapchat has introduced for the ongoing event.
In a press statement, Snapchat’s VP Ben Schwerin said “We love finding new ways to make Snapchat a great place for fans,” said Ben Schwerin, Snapchat’s vice president of partnerships. “We are so excited for Snapchatters to be able to catch behind the scenes action by their favourite players, cheer their teams and share in the IPL 2018 frenzy with their friends and family!”
The social media platform has also launched new special lenses which will be unlocked when a user scans their favourite team’s Snapcode. The unlocked filter would thus add a touch of augmented reality on one’s face or their surroundings. For IPL 2018, Snapchat’s Lenses include a helmet with a cricket bat in the foreground.
When users scan a team’s particular snap code, they’ll be directed to the Lenses for that particular team. When applying the Lens to their story, users will be greeted with their team’s anthem. The Lens can be activated by going into Camera Roll > Scan and then choosing the image which has a Snapcode. When a Snapcode is scanned, the App will notify you with a “New Lens found” pop-up which remains activated for the next 24 hours.
This is Snapchat’s first foray into India’s biggest sporting event and the company would look to make the most out of this to provide all the action from matches to all the behind the scenes fun.