The Indian Premier League has picked up a huge interest in the cricketing world. Invented in 2008, IPL changed the face of cricket with a new format—fast, glamorous, and full of runs. Though it changed the face of the game, its effect is beyond the game. Many jobs have been created in different fields as a result of this change.
This format has evolved into a more thrilling and exciting game. It helps teams engage in fast-paced games many times down to the wire in the last over. Also, IPL’s popularity raised the cricketing infrastructure whereby new stadiums, training facilities, and cricket academies have cropped up in India.
In this blog, we look at the overall influence of IPL on global cricket.
Indian Premier League: A huge sporting success right from the start
This league consists of eight teams across eight different cities in India. While viewing the tournament, the audience can see some of the world’s finest cricket players. That combines with Bollywood music and dance moves from cheerleaders during breaks.
For Indians, cricket is something more than just a game. Being the most dominant sport in India, it enjoys a huge fan following all over India. Also, it happens to be the highest-earning national sport in the country.
The inaugural season in 2008 saw 200 million Indians tune into their TV screens and 10 million overseas viewers. That surpasses the record 150 million followers who had tuned into football’s most popular league, the English Premier League.
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IPL’s Impact on Global Cricket
The impact of the IPL on cricket is thus bittersweet. It has been great for the growth of the popularity of the sport but at the expense of other formats. The rise of T20 cricket has made Test cricket a thing of bygone times. Most boards are struggling to pull in fans for the five-day format.
Besides, it has spawned several T20 leagues all over the world that have resulted in a cluttered cricket calendar and fatigued players.
The impact of the IPL on cricket and the Indian economy has been huge. If the spending power of the league did affect the game’s dynamics, then with this fat purse called the IPL in its control, the BCCI took centre stage in the cricketing world.
However, the impact of IPL on the employment scenario in India cannot be understated—the number of jobs that IPL opened across sectors is huge. For the most part, this is a good sign for the league, and it will continue to shape cricket and new jobs in India for years to come.
Cricket’s Fan Culture: Creating A Global Fan Base
The Indian Premier League, or in short, the IPL, is known as one of the most popular and favourite cricket leagues all across the globe. It gets eyeballs not only in India but globally as well. It has got the repute of being a thrilling style of cricket, with famous teams, and talented players that give it the magic to attract fans of all age groups.
The tournament has been getting high viewership over the years. According to reports, 462 million people viewed the 2021 IPL game globally. That means an increase of 9% over the last year. That also has a total reach of 34.8 crore viewers in India during the 2021 IPL edition.
With fame, it has a huge global presence with its broadcasting in more than 120 countries. That includes the UK, USA, Australia, and South Africa. Its online streaming platform, Hotstar, has attained more than 300 million active users.
Global Brand Involvement And Sponsorships
The IPL provides an ideal platform for brands to reach out to a huge audience by several sponsorship and advertising areas which have been opened.
The IPL has been successful in roping top global brands and has them invest heavily in the league.”. The league maintains various sponsorship stuff such as team, title, and associate sponsorships. It helps brands join the league at different global levels.
It has also been able to attract some of the finest brands for ads during live matches. Whether it is through TV commercials, on-ground ads, or digital ads.
BCCI: The New Kingmaker
In addition to affecting cricket, the IPL has elevated the BCCI to a dominant position in the sport. This league’s ownership gave the BCCI immense bargaining power over other cricket boards across the world.
The hegemony of the BCCI in world cricket has given it strength and impetus. The BCCI can dictate its terms to the ICC and other boards across the world. Very perhaps, one of the glaring examples of the clout of the BCCI was the “Big Three” plan itself. During this time, England, India, and Australia took over most of the cricket reins.
