5 ways the IPL has changed the way cricket is played
Ever since its inception in 2008, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has gone on to become one of the biggest T20 leagues in the world. Filled with glitz and glamour, the cash-rich league is not just good for businesses to make money, but also remains a big reason for the way the game is played today.
The popularity of the IPL has been growing with every season. Every year, we get to witness breathtaking moments on the field that captivate the audience so much, that we can easily say that the IPL has set the benchmark for T20 cricket and T20 leagues around the world.
We shall now take a look at the five biggest ways in which IPL has changed the way cricket is played in 2018.
5. Emergence of leaders
When the IPL was first launched in 2008, only experienced veterans were selected to lead a franchise. This meant that in order to captain an IPL team, players must’ve had some form of leadership experience. There was also this myth that the most experienced and most talented person should be selected to lead.
But that isn’t the case anymore. Over the years, the IPL has seen youngsters emerge as leaders. Some of them have gone to become successful captains for their franchise as well as their country. Some names that come to mind are Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer etc. And this holds true not just for just the young players, but also for the experienced players who wouldn’t have gotten a chance to captain a team. This distribution of leadership has helped the national team's dressing room get filled with leaders who are more than capable of handling pressure situations.
A look at the Indian dressing room will show players like Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik etc. who have all been placed in a leadership role within their franchises. This has also helped India emerge as one of the most dominant cricket powerhouses in the world.
Therefore, there is no doubt that the IPL has played its hand in molding youngsters into capable leaders.