Alec Black
Indian Premiere League History of the IPL The IPL (Indian Premiere League) was founded in 2008 by Lalit Modi. Already the Vice President of the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) he saw enormous opportunity in a regional cricket league. In itʼs third season, the IPL has recently grown to 10 teams and is quickly becoming the most competitive and popular non-national cricket tournament in the world. The IPL is the first successful regional cricket league to be played on a global stage. It is reinventing the game of cricket, not by changing the rules but by how people view it and participate with it. The IPL uses a form of cricket called Twenty20 in which each team is limited to a certain number of chances. This is a change from “test cricket” in which the game was simply limited by time. This change in the rules has dramatically shortened the game (most matches are about 3 hours) and made the game more appealing to a large audience. Although there are limits to the number of foreign players a team can have, the IPL features players from all over showcasing the greatest cricketers in the world. Teams are allowed to employ up to 8 foreign players but only 4 can play at once. As well each team must employ at least 8 local players and 2 players from the under-22 national team. This rules are in place in order to foster Indian cricket and showcase the talent that is in the host country. Perspective of the IPL The IPL is founded upon generating interest and excitement in regional cricket to the extent that the Indians have it for national cricket. Culture of the IPL Since it is still in the early stages, people are still developing their perceptions the IPL. The one piece that people have struggled with is whether or not they will cheer for a foreign player on their local squad or a national player on the opposing squad. Some people still hold their allegiances to the national team, regardless of which local squad a player is playing for. On the other hand it is widely popular because it is the first time that global talent has been put together regardless of nationality. One person said “Everyone is watching it because it is interesting to see players from different countries play together”. Being the first league to take advantage of club cricket with world class talent, the IPL has been able to grab viewers and fans from all over the globe. Many of the investors and owners of the IPL are Bollywood stars and Indian celebrities. This has given the IPL a ritzy, star studded image that has helped to make it so successful. It is seen in Indian culture as a place where you could possibly run into a movie star but also a place where upper class people and wealthy citizens go. The fact that it has this high end image but is accessible to the everyman has led to the succes of Indianʼs embracing the IPL.