Hello dear readers of Parinaama!!! Your editor here!
Glad to meet y'all in another post (after quite some time I must say), that too in this special one. Why do I call it special? – because it indeed is - to me, to the blog, and by the end of this article, to you as well. A quick glance into my profile on our home page will tell you that I’m an avid sports fan, with specialization in cricket. It was a long time thought of mine that I should express my sports enthusiasm in a form of art that I’m fond of – writing. After lots of thinking, hesitation, and taking inputs from our very own Author, I decided that the splendid combination of my 2 amazing hobbies shall take place in none other than the ever-safe space of Parinaama.
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| * manifesting a job like this * |
So, readers, it is with great happiness and joy that we, at Parinaama, present to you the very first article of our Sports Blog. Let me give you a little background to present an insight into how the Sports Blog shall proceed.
Firstly, we will begin the blog with the main focus being on the most popular cricketing event across the world – the Indian Premier League, which will later expand into the wider world of international cricket, and at long last, other sports across the globe as well.
Secondly, the Author and myself have come to a beautiful crossroads – I shall write the sports articles while she reviews them.
Last but not the least, I’ve taken this plunge putting my entire faith in you – the readers of Parinaama. My earlier 2 articles, one of them being on my sporting idol M.S Dhoni, have been well received, and nothing but my unshakable trust in the sporting craze of us Indians & the support shown by you to my writing have prompted me to materialize the dream that my inner child had – sports blogging.
So, without further ado, let’s jump into the exciting ocean of cricketing extravaganza – the Indian Premier League.
The entire idea of a cricketing league in India originated back in 2007, after the International Cricket Council (ICC) saw success in a novel attempt – the introduction of playing cricket for 20 overs rather than 50. The format was called T20, and the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup that was launched in 2007 became a grand success. With the winners of the inaugural edition being India, the idea of having an Indian Premier League, wherein players from different nations would get picked by teams in an auction for them to participate in the league representing their franchises rather than their nations, originated amongst the officials in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
After a lot of pondering and attempts, the IPL materialized with 8 initial franchises based out of Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Rajasthan, Punjab, Kolkata and Hyderabad.
With the first edition becoming a massive success throughout the subcontinent as well as outside it, the IPL knew nothing but growth. It has completed 15 editions till now, with the tournament being held annually during the Indian summer season.
So, you would think: nice league, 8 teams, held annually, 15 editions and counting – everything is smooth, right?
Wrong.
The IPL isn’t that simple (lol)
Would you believe me if I said that a total of 15 teams have been a part of the IPL at some time or the other, though not simultaneously? Yes, it’s true. Expansion of something good is a universal habit, and that habit didn’t spare the IPL Governing Council (GC) as well.
Back in 2008, the 8 teams that originally played were the Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils (now called Delhi Capitals), Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab (now called Punjab Kings), Kolkata Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers.
In the 2011 edition, 2 new teams – Pune Warriors India and Kochi Tuskers Kerala, were added to the league, only for the former to be disbanded after 3 years and the latter after 1. Later in 2013, the ownership of the Deccan Chargers changed, and the franchise based out of Hyderabad came to be known as Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The 2016 edition saw its inaugural champions RR and then – 2 – time champions CSK being temporarily suspended. Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions took their place, only to give way for the OGs in 2018. The latest edition saw the league becoming a 10-team tournament (yet again) with Lucknow Supergiants and Gujarat Titans entering the fray.
With 15 years of the tournament, it’s pretty surprising that only 7 teams have managed to play passing the parcel with the Cup amongst themselves, and the other teams have not had the golden opportunity of lifting the trophy yet. MI have won it a record 5 times, CSK have got 4 titles, KKR got it twice, and RR, DC (Chargers, not Capitals), SRH and GT have bagged it once apiece.
Now, with such popularity and craze around the league, if it hadn’t generated a corresponding growth in revenue, the BCCI might’ve ceased to exist due to bankruptcy. However, the BCCI is currently the richest cricketing board in the world, and IPL has contributed a major chunk to it.
The IPL has been sponsored by various companies and industries, with the title sponsors over the years being DLF (2008-12), Pepsi (2013-15), Vivo (2016-19,21), Dream11 (2020) and Tata (2022 onwards), with the latest contract with Tata costing Tata a whopping 4.398 billion rupees. Likewise, the broadcasting rights are also sold for sky high prices, with the Sony Sports Network holding the rights for the first 10 editions, and the Star Sports Network since then (Viacom18 will hold the digital rights from 2023 onwards).
I guess that should settle questions about the financial element of the IPL, and how each team gets 95 crores to spend in the auction.
The IPL has proven to be a source of excitement, stress-relief, enjoyment and ecstasy for cricketing fans in India and around the globe. It has given a platform for superstars to shine, as well as domestic talent to perform in front of the world. Now, coming to the 16th edition of the IPL, the one that’s about to happen in 2023, is quite special to me.
It is by all means likely to be the last season for MS Dhoni to feature as a player (sad violin music). As heart wrenching as it is, we must accept it and move forward to enjoy his last dance. That is why I’ve started this – to enjoy IPL, cricket and sports with all the readers of Parinaama. Tomorrow is a very important day for IPL 2023, as the player auction commences in Kochi.
Stay tuned for the next article – auction special – which will come out tomorrow morning
Until next time, with cheers and whistles
Subrahmanyam B R
Sports Blogger