Cricket has a long history in India and has been considered a big sport for decades. The Twenty20 cricket format made a mark in history and was the starting point of how cricket got exposed to the world.
So, how did everything start? We’ll let you in on some of the stories behind how the Indian Premier League grew into what it currently is.
The Indian Premier League
The IPL, or the Indian Premier League, isn’t just prestigious in India. It’s one of the world’s most renowned Twenty20 or T20 cricket leagues. The tournament is an annual event in India between March and May.
How Chennai Super Kings beat Gujarat Titans in the 2023 final takes IPL to new heights in 2024. The revenue and viewership set a record, becoming the most-watched live online event. The number of concurrent viewers got over a whopping 32 million. Meanwhile, the broadcast rights for IPL’s 2023-2027 managed to hit a total of $6.4 billion, making it around $13.4 million per match.
More and more fans outside India are following the IPL, especially in the United States. This success proves how influential the IPL has been on Indian cricket. Due to its success, the sport also got a virtual version. It’s a Simulated Reality League (SRL), allowing fans to enjoy the SRL T20 off-season.
How It Started
The IPL started in 2007, founded by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The first IPL ever took place in 2008, immediately transforming Indian cricket and putting the country at the centre of global cricket.
Lalit Modi, the Vice President of the BCCI, took inspiration from the English Premier League format. Thus, the IPL was born in a similar way to club football leagues in Europe. The IPL launched as a response to the Indian Cricket League (ICL), which was a rival T20 under the Zee Group.
Although it started to popularise cricket and make a profitable T20 competition in India, IPL became a huge commercial success story that dominates the Indian cricket landscape. In 2015 alone, the IPL had contributed over $140 million to India’s economy, growing tremendously to $10.9 billion by 2022.
The DLF Indian Premier League is a historical event in cricket, and the BCCI approved the IPL a few months before it started. It was the perfect opportunity for the entertainment industry in India, and from then on, IPL turned everyone’s attention. The Twenty20 format then became popular after India won the World Twenty20 Cup. It was liked by the fans, making IPL capitalising on the growing interest among fans.
Simulated Reality League
When people think of IPL, they expect exciting matches and performances. Then, technology jumped in, making the sport more accessible globally.
A new virtual cricket league called the SRL or Simulated Reality League uses accurate match data in computer simulations. It replicates T20 matches and follows actual cricket rules. The difference is the SRL is much shorter, only around two hours.
One critical benefit of SRL is it operates independently of accurate tournament schedules. Fans no longer have to watch all year round or specific seasons. They can enjoy SRL Premier League matches, even when no actual IPL takes place in real-time.
