The 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has kickstarted on a blockbuster note with all the glitz and glamours in the opening ceremony. After a long gap of four years, IPL is back to its original home-and-away format of the game.
Ever since its evolution, the Indian Premier League has come a long way and is a far cry from the first edition of the Indian Premier League.
IPL Will Happen 8 Times A Year?
Today, IPL is the biggest and the most successful T20 cricket league in the world, however, when it was started not many gave it a chance. The England Cricket Board was certain that IPL’s failure was a matter of time but 15 years down the line, Indian Premier League is dominating the global cricketing scenario.
Indian Premier League has transformed the lives of cricketers across the world. Not just the league provides the cricketers with a perfect platform to showcase their talent in front of the world but also provides them with huge pay-cheques.
Among many, Indian Premier League has also transformed the life of Dimitri Mascarenhas, the first English cricketer to feature in the Indian Premier League .
“I was only there for two weeks but the money on offer in comparison to county cricket was ridiculous,” Mascarenhas was quoted by the Independent.
“But it wasn’t about the money. You just felt like a rock star. It was cricket, but it wasn’t cricket as we knew it.”
After Mascarenhas joined the Indian Premier League , several players like Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff, Ravi Bopara and Tymal Mills and many more, who were snapped by franchises for big sums over time.
Meanwhile, Ravi Bopara is all set to play the inaugural Major Cricket League (MLC) in the United States, talked about the evolution of the Indian Premier League.
“I would never have thought that would have happened,” said Bopara on players worldwide choosing the IPL over national duties in the middle of the season.
“But I don’t think a lot of people would have predicted many of the things that have happened over the past ten years.”
Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders, all the franchises have invested in the MLC. This isn’t the first time that the franchises of Indian Premier League have spread their wings in the T20 leagues.
“In the inaugural edition of the South Africa’s T20 tournament, six franchises owned by the IPL participated in the league. “They’ve got the means, they’re some of the richest people in the world (IPL franchise owners),” says Mills. “I played for the Mumbai Indians last year and money isn’t an issue. They have a brand, they have a company and they want to be as big as possible.”
Bopara believes the Indian Premier League story remains to be written.
“You could see the IPL being played in every country,” he says. “You could get the IPL in India, and the IPL in Australia, the IPL in America and the IPL in Sri Lanka. You could get the IPL being played eight times a year all over the world,” said Bopara.