Last Updated on 4 weeks by Charbel Coorey
Cricket Opinion: A look at why the Indian Premier League IPL is one of the best sporting competitions in the world
After being founded in 2008, big things were expected of the Indian Premier League, and rightfully so. Thankfully, for the competition’s organisers, it has lived up to its billing, becoming the biggest cricket competition around in domestic circles.
Played under ICC rules, it’s impossible for cricket fanatics to avoid the variety of drama that typically unfolds in the IPL. It’s a competition that has also spawned many imitators, but they’ve all failed to replicate the type of success that this India-based competition has achieved. For example, fans constantly debate new team acquisitions on platforms like X, formerly known as Twitter. Also, attendances are strong on the whole and people are regularly betting on the outcomes of matches and playing fantasy cricket. Also, the tactics and strategy during an average match make it an enthralling watch, and it’s a competition that is filled with world-class players and hugely respected coaches.
The IPL is quite clearly the best T20 league around for a number of notable reasons. Let’s take a look at some of them below.
Why the IPL is the best T20 competition in the world
A competition with the highest quality of cricket on offer
First and foremost, given the financial backing of many of the top sides in the competition, the IPL has the ability to attract the game’s most talented professionals. As such, viewing audiences are treated to the highest level of cricket on a regular basis. It’s essentially the only domestic competition around that features international players regularly coming up against each other.
It’s home to some of the best bowlers the game has ever seen, while the batting on display and the high-scoring encounters create a real treat for the sport’s spectators. Put it this way, if you’re trying to educate someone on the game of cricket, then tuning in for a big fixture in the IPL is highly recommended and tends to deliver in terms of entertainment.
The atmosphere on offer is unrivalled
Alongside the formidable talent that the league houses is a passionate fan base that other T20 leagues are desperate to replicate. It’s well documented given the fact that it’s the country’s most popular sport as Indians simply adore cricket. It was therefore always going to garner huge interest when the competition was established in 2008, although the tournament’s organisers perhaps didn’t envisage such a massive buzz around it so soon after its inception.
The IPL has now developed into one of the most well-supported sporting competitions around. With fans attending in their thousands, the atmosphere is exceptional. Filled with chanting and an all-round energetic vibe in all stadiums that host the league’s matches, attending an IPL game is well worth doing. Additionally, for fans in other nations, following the action on the television is also tough to avoid, particularly given the energy that the fanatical Indian fans bring to every game. In terms of providing an unbeatable package for fans, the IPL really does deliver.
Big sponsors attracted to the league
Another notable reason that has helped fuel the success of this mightily impressive feast of cricket is due to the money that comes into the league. Without it, it wouldn’t be the same competition that it is today. It also adds further prestige to the competition, particularly as world-famous brands are seemingly desperate to have their name featured alongside it.
From the likes of Pepsi to Vivo to Dream11, the BCCI earns huge amounts of money from the competition’s major sponsorship packages. This, in turn, enables the league to thrive in a way that other competitions simply struggle to. Additionally, it’s a competition that is boosting India’s economy.
The IPL has created numerous jobs in a variety of sectors, such as hospitality, while it also enables cities to experience an influx of business thanks to the thousands of fans that travel around the country to take in some of the IPL’s top encounters. As the competition continues to grow, the sponsorship packages will also only get bigger and better. As a result of this, the nation of India will continue to reap the rewards.
Excellent infrastructure and facilities
For people who perhaps don’t know about the IPL, it seems like a shiny competition that perhaps doesn’t deliver in other areas away from the entertainment it serves up on the pitch. That couldn’t be further from the truth, though. In fact, given the financial muscle of the league, it’s a sporting competition that is being built for the long-term.
For the players, the facilities are of the highest standard; the IPL takes place in stadiums that are on par with nations like Australia. There is five-star treatment on offer for visiting supporters wherever they go. Young players are being given more opportunities to thrive thanks to notable investment in facilities and coaching, and it’s essentially a T20 competition that has an excellent infrastructure behind it.
Alongside the humongous TV deals and the abundance of world-class players, it’s clear the IPL is not just the best T20 cricket league, but also one of the best competitions in any sport on the globe.
