IPL 2017: 5 reasons why the IPL is a huge hit
This time, every year, Indian cricket fans who cheer for the national team otherwise, shift their loyalties to their own favourite IPL teams. The Indian Premier League – the city-based Indian domestic T20 tournament – has been the biggest showpiece event in the sport ever since its inception in 2008.
Come April, international cricket takes a backseat as players from all the leading cricketing nations come together to take part in this cricketing extravaganza.
As IPL 2017 is set to get underway in less than a fortnight, we take a look at the few reasons why this 10-season old tournament has become a big hit among the public.
#1 Indian Premier League - A pioneer of T20 leagues
We have all, at some point in our childhood, daydreamed about our favourite players from different nationalities playing in the same team. Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya were, in their prime, destructive openers who sent the bowlers on a leather hunt at the start of an innings.
What if they once walked out to bat together in a T20 – that would be an absolute nightmare for the bowlers, and a joy for fans. This and many more such crazy dreams of the cricket fan remained on paper for a long time, with the exception of the odd exhibition game here and there. In making this once supposedly crazy dream a reality, the Indian Premier League was a pioneer of its kind, ironically.
Ironically? Yes, that was indeed what it was, coming from a nation that initially gave a cold shoulder to the T20 format. In fact, when the Twenty20 World Cup was first envisaged, India were first reluctant to even participate and later sent a second-line squad of young talent, as legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly opted out of the tournament. Rest, as they say, is history.
The young group led by the new captain MS Dhoni went onto clinch the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa. The bowl-out against Pakistan, Yuvraj’s 6 sixes, Joginder Sharma’s over in the finals and many more such memorable moments from the tournament, caught the fascination of the cricket-loving Indian public.
India’s title triumph at the tournament emboldened the BCCI to cash in on the post-tournament euphoria and launch a domestic T20 league of its own.
Starting off in the summer of 2008, the tournament was gifted a great start by Brendon McCullum, who lit up the Chinnaswamy Stadium, cracking a 73-ball 158 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the inaugural game of the tournament. Though the match ended as a one-sided affair, it had been a perfect advertisement for the entertainment the tournament had in store in the seasons to come.