The Indian Premier League was a game changer for Indian cricket right after its inaugural edition in 2008. The league, which was the first of its kind in cricket, as it drew the top international players to play for different Indian franchises. Italso unearthed many domestic players who would have otherwise spent their life in obscurity.
The IPL has grown in popularity with every edition and today it has gone on to become one of the most popular sports leagues in the world, and also the most popular cricket league around. The quality of international and domestic players on display in the IPL is top-notch at the moment, and none of the other T20 Leagues come close to replicating that.
How IPL Changed The Indian Cricket Landscape
Cricket has become a cult sport in India since India's World Cup triumph under the leadership of Kapil Dev in 1983. Fansalso saw the emergence of legendary players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid over the next couple of decades. India also continued to be one of the best cricket teams in the world, but another World title kept eluding them after '83.
It was under the leadership of MS Dhoni that a young Indian side went on to win the T20 World Cup title in its inaugural edition in 2007. Lalit Modi, who is known as the pioneer of the IPL, saw it as the opportune time to start the IPL and the BCCI also agreed. The league started the very next year in 2008, and the rest is history!
India was one of the powerhouses of world cricket, but the emergence of the IPL made it the superpower that other countries and boards fail to compete with even now. The IPL increased the popularity of the Indian cricket market massively, and it also became the most-sought-after destination for international cricketers soon. Playing in the IPL now is not only a dream for Indian cricketers, but also for many other overseas players. In short, the league has established India as the ultimate superpower in world cricket.
How IPL Changed The Way T20 Cricket Is Played
T20 Cricket has been in vogue for at least five years before IPL's debut season, but it's the cash-rich league that made the format popular and thoroughly enjoyable for the fans.
The IPL has helped in expanding the boundaries of T20 cricket. It has shown that nothing is impossible in this format. We have seen massive scores being chased down with batters going on a frenzy. We have also witnessed some spectacular bowling, and let's not forget the superhuman fielding efforts either.
The league has made the concept of power hitting popular. Power hitting is now seen as a very important skill for T20 cricketers, which measures batters on their ability to score within boundaries and clear them frequently. Spin bowling has also undergone quite some change. Traditionally, flight and loop have been two keywords for successful spinners.
But the IPL has changed that as well. It has shown that spinners need to bowl with flatter and faster trajectories to be successful in this format. Otherwise, batters find it pretty easy to hit traditional spinners for boundaries. That's why someone like Rashid Khan has been so successful over the years.
How IPL Has Changed Lives of Indian Players
The IPL hasn't only changed the way T20 cricket is played, but it has also changed the lives of many Indian players. Players like Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya, who are brothers, are prime examples of that as they made a name for themselves in this league and also went on to play for the Indian team. Everyone knows the hardships Hardik and Krunal went through in their early life, but once the IPL and Mumbai Indians identified their talent, there was no looking back for them.
The league has given them name, fame, opportunity to play for the Indian team, and also financial freedom, something they lacked in their lives before. There are other players like Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Tripathi, and Suryakumar Yadav as well, whose lives were changed on the back of breathtaking performances in the IPL. It served them the platform to showcase their talent and the opportunity to rub shoulders with quality international players also made them better as players.
The Impact Of IPL On The Indian Cricket Team
The IPL introduces new domestic talents to the world every year, and many of them have gone on to play for the Indian team as well. All of Bumrah, Hardik, Krunal, Tripathi, and Rishabh Pant made it to the Indian team on the back ofmemorable and consistent performances in the IPL.
The league has also helped in improving the player pool for the Indian team massively. India can now field two to three teams of 11 players to play against different teams, and they can still bear them. Such is the quality of the Indian talent pool right now!
The high-pressure games and situations mold the players in a way that would enable them to deal with the pressure of international cricket. So, they are effectively not rookies when they make their debut for the Indian team. The experience of playing with top international players in the IPL makes them absolutely ready to deal with the rigors of international cricket.
The Role of IPL In Shaping The Future Of Cricket In India
The IPL has helped in making the BCCI the richest and the most powerful cricket board in the world. The BCCI generates huge revenues through the league every year and that transcends all other major global international events as well. That sums up how powerful the league has become, and how it is shaping the future of sport in the country.
The IPL will continue to introduce new talents to the world in the future, and that in turn will only enhance the talent pool for the Indian team. The revenues generated also helped the BCCI to increase the salaries of domestic players by huge amounts. It also paved the way for the Women's Premier League, which is basically the Women's IPL tournament, and itis again expected to improve the condition of Women's cricket in India, like the IPL did for men's cricket all these years.