India holds a special place in my heart.
In my marketing career, I was lucky enough to visit regularly during the 1990s and early 2000s. However, as time flew by, I realised it had been a decade since my last visit.
I made a New Year’s resolution, inspired by Speight’s: to reconnect with India through my other great passion, cricket.
An ardent follower of the Indian Premier League since its first edition in 2008, I had always wanted to see the spectacle live. So I booked my most organised international trip ever — a journey encompassing six cities and six IPL games.
The games boasted incredible atmospheres, transforming into fully fledged stage productions beyond the captivating cricketing action.
Each boundary, whether four or six, triggered a spectacular display of pyrotechnics. The presence of both Indian and international cheerleaders kept the crowds engaged, dancing to a lively mix of Bollywood and Western favourites.
A unique moment unfolded in Bangalore when the entire crowd serenaded a section of the stands where fans brought their dogs, uniting in a collective karaoke rendition of Who Let The Dogs Out.
In this year’s edition, the IPL reverted to its original home-and-away format, allowing teams to play in front of their devoted fans once again. Covid meant the tournament was held in the UAE then limited stadia in India.
A noticeable part of the bustling crowds are young families. They wear costumes and face paint, and wave team flags, adding to the vibrant atmosphere. The absence of alcohol in most stadiums contributes to a truly family-friendly experience.
The biggest show in town
In its final week alone, the IPL enjoyed a combined audience of 451 million unique viewers in India. These astronomical figures make the tournament the second-most valuable sports league globally, just behind the NFL in the United States.
This is even more remarkable considering India is still a developing economy.
One factor ensuring the IPL’s success is a harmonious relationship with Bollywood, India’s film industry. Instead of competing with the IPL, many of India’s film stars became club owners, using their popularity to attract fans.
I witnessed this phenomenon at a game in Kolkata. After the game, part-owner and actor Shahrukh Khan (imagine if Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio combined) came pitchside to meet the players including Virat Kolhi (think if Lionel Messi and Richie McCaw were one athlete).
The reaction from the crowd was full-noise ecclesiastic — as if God and Jesus had decided to meet post-game.
Alongside the Bollywood effect, the IPL has become a dream platform for advertisers aiming to connect with India’s growing middle class.
With increasing financial power, IPL franchises are now cloning into new markets, such as the UAE and South Africa. Kolkata chief executive Venky Mysore caught the world’s attention last year when he stated his goal of signing elite players to 12-month contracts, so they can play and promote the IPL’s expansion globally.
Death of the ‘gentleman’s game’?
From its inception in 2008, critics have labelled the IPL a dangerous force within cricket. Purists see it as a fatal threat to the longer, five-day form of the game, test cricket.
Due to the clash in seasonal calendars, northern hemisphere nations such as England and the West Indies were the first to feel the IPL squeeze.
England initially did not support its players’ involvement, while the West Indies laid down a strict "international club or country" policy similar to New Zealand Rugby’s stance on the All Blacks.
New Zealand has increasingly felt the pinch. Trent Boult has not been available for test duty as he plies his trade in the IPL and other T20 leagues. The impact of a packed player schedule was also painfully felt when Kane Williamson suffered a long-term injury in the first IPL game this season.
While the IPL’s ever-increasing window will pose challenges, I believe it is also changing the game for good.
At pitch level, the IPL has arguably made test cricket more dynamic.
The IPL has also served as a wake-up call for the stagnant International Cricket Council.
This led to the development of a new future tour programme for 2023-27, introducing important changes. This includes committing to a biennial World Test Championship, injecting more purpose into all tests, bringing more test cricket to new nations such as Afghanistan and Ireland, and most pressingly, providing a clear structure for the development of women’s international cricket.
The IPL has given much-needed visibility to players from Afghanistan at a time when developing their national programme seemed almost impossible. Rashid Khan, a legspinner, is regarded as one of the IPL’s most successful players, bringing more Afghani talent to the league.
In recognition of this, the Black Caps will play their first test in Afghanistan, scheduled for September next year.
Breaking new ground
This year, the IPL also launched the first season of the Women’s Premier League, in which top Indian and international players competed in India over March.
This is a major milestone for the professionalism of the women’s game, allowing elite athletes including star White Ferns players Sophie Devine and Melie Kerr to gain justly deserved pay cheques.
On the ground in India, the tournament has broken new social barriers.
The concern about a zero-sum IPL v test cricket trade-off seems misplaced.
In India, I saw an almost natural synergy between T20 and the traditional form of the game.
As part of the trip, Mike Hesson — the former Black Caps coach and director of cricket operations at Royal Challengers Bangalore — kindly invited me to breakfast at RCB.
Among the players I spoke to was a current Black Cap, Michael Bracewell, who, alongside Hesson, hails from Dunedin.
Bracewell shared his opinion that while there is no guarantee of playing regularly, the IPL experience was invaluable to his white- and red-ball international career.
He enjoyed mentoring from legendary RCB captain Faf du Plessis, alongside lively daily net sessions against two of test cricket’s most feared bowlers, Mohamed Siraj, of India, and Australian Josh Hazelwood.
In India, the intense debate about who would make the final XI to play Australia in the World Test Championship — it started at The Oval last night — was being assessed primarily by how players coped with the pressures of the IPL.
The two formats are seen as two sides of the same coin, because, as the local saying goes: "Cricket is life. Everything else is just a game."
- Jerry Clode’s trip to India was part of a wider social and book project, The IPL Effect. New Zealand cricketers Devon Conway and Mitchell Santner became IPL champions last week when their Chennai Super Kings snatched a last-ball victory over the Gujarat Titans in the final.
