Cricket’s New Era: The Revolution of T20 and IPL
Cricket’s landscape changed dramatically with the invention of T20 cricket. Earlier, the sport was played at a slower pace. The game was based more on patience than on hard-hitting. T20 has increased the entertainment level among the fans.
The T20 cricket has also revolutionized over the years. One of the reasons behind this is the invention of domestic leagues. The Indian Premier League laid a great foundation for all the leagues. This league has helped in the sport’s growth and even took the game to another level.
A blend of domestic and international talent
IPL came in with a unique plan. Firstly, they gathered some big investors from the nation. These investors decided to pick a team based on famous cities in the nation. Then an auction system was introduced to buy the players. The reason behind this was to blend domestic and international players. All teams were bidding to build a strong team.
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The bidding system was great for almost every player. They got a huge contract in terms of money and that even revolutionized the lives of many domestic players. IPL became a hub of players over the seasons. This was also beneficial for the nation as they found some of the gems of Indian cricket.
Cricket’s growth Internationally
IPL laid the foundation for other domestic leagues around the globe. Other nations also started shifting to a similar format like IPL. Nations like the USA, Canada, and a few Arab nations got investments from the same investors in IPL. Teams like Mumbai Indians, CSK, Delhi, Rajasthan, and KKR have invested in different leagues. These teams focus on creating a core group and often purchase the same players in every league. This has helped the players to play regular cricket and filled their pockets with good money.
What North American leagues can learn?
Cricket is the second most followed sport in the world. This is one of the reasons behind IPL’s growth. NFL, NBA, and MLB are the most famous leagues in North America. However, these games struggle to attract a lot of viewership from other continents. NBA is the most famous among all, mostly due to their marketing.
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NBA has gone commercial and they have targeted a set of audiences outside the United States. However, they do not get enough viewership and that is mostly due to a completely different time zone. Leagues in North America also do not advertise a lot like IPL. There are various ads during IPL and they charge heavily. On the other hand, these North American sports do not generate enough ad revenue.
The TV consumption is much higher in cricket-watching nations. This is not the case in North American sports. People prefer live matches to watching them on TV. IPL also focuses on promoting the game with top stars in the game. The promotion game is weaker when it comes to other sports.
Overall, the IPL has laid a great foundation for other leagues. Earlier, IPL was learning from other leagues and now it is completely the opposite.
