Why is IPL One of the Most-Watched Sports Events in the World?

Cricket is the second-most popular sport worldwide with over 2.5 billion fans from around the world. When it comes to cricket, the Indian Premier League is an annual event that fans dare not miss. The IPL has grown so much since it was founded in 2008 and last year, the entire first phase of ILP 2021 was watched by over 367 million viewers.

People have different reasons as to why they enjoy following the IPL. Some of them just really enjoy anything cricket while some grew up watching the IPL with their friends and family. There are also the ones who follow the IPL news for bettors so they can place bets that could make them earn a few extra cash throughout the entire season.

Whatever the reason is, they all make the IPL one of the most-watched sports events worldwide. But do you ever wonder what makes the league so interesting? Why are people so drawn into watching cricket matches in this tournament? We’ll try and answer these questions for you.

The Most Talented Cricket Superstars

The IPL has made plenty of cricket superstars over the years. Many fans would discover great talents through the IPL because each year, teams would allow young and up-and-coming players to participate in the field. Because of the IPL’s reach, these players became more popular and gained more following:

Mohit Sharma: Sharma was able to reach the World Cup in 2015 after successful IPL seasons in 2013 and 2014.

Yuzvendra Chahal: Chahal debuted in the IPL in 2013 with Mumbai Indians. However, when he joined Royal Challengers Bangalore the following year, that’s when he found his consistent pace. Eventually, he was able to play an ODI, and today, he is now one of the best ODI bowlers in the T20 rankings.

Manish Pandey: Pandey became a part of the IPL in 2009 and it was when he played with the Kolkata Knight Riders that people began to notice his skills. Eventually, he was able to be a part of the Indian national team and also had his ODI debut.

Suryakumar Yadav: Yadav’s career in the IPL started in 2012 when he joined the Kolkata Knight Riders. However, it took him a few years before he was able to show what he got on the field. It was in 2014 when he showed off with an average of over 32 and a strike rate of 140. After this, Mumbai Indians purchased him and he was promoted as an opener.

Hardik Pandya: Hardik Pandya is now one of the most popular cricket stars today and he joined the IPL in 2015. With only nine matches since he joined the league, he was able to join the Indian T20 team. After that, he became a regular in the Indian team and made a name for himself since then.

Drama

Who doesn’t love drama? Even sports fans crave this when they’re watching their favorites on the field. Even outside of the field, the IPL had its fair share of controversies that didn’t negatively impact the league when it comes to viewership.

If anything, these dramas just made the people more curious about the IPL and eventually hopped into the fandom. This year’s IPL will have a total of 10 teams which hasn’t happened in a while. The last time that the IPL had ten teams in total, the BCCI had to deal with a lot of drama. Eventually, the two teams added to the league in 2011 were dissolved and had a few issues with the BCCI.

And now, we can’t help but wonder if the two new teams this season will get along well with the founders of the IPL. Things will likely be better this time around since surely, the IPL has learned a lot of lessons regarding this matter.

Great Rivalries

Another factor that many people look forward to when watching any sports event is great rivalries. The IPL is so full of it and some of the rivalries in the league have existed since the beginning of the tournament, which was in 2018.

When it comes to this, the biggest rivalry in the league has to be the one between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians that is also called the “El Clasico” of cricket. This rivalry mainly started because both teams had great cricket superstars playing for them at the start of the IPL.

In 2008, when the IPL was launched, Mumbai Indians had the greatest cricketer of all time, Sachin Tendulkar. Meanwhile, CSK had MS Dhoni who was quickly becoming popular because of his brilliant tactics. Dhoni knew Tendulkar’s weaknesses and every time these two teams go head-to-head, cricket fans had the time of their lives. This rivalry still carried on even after the two cricketers have already moved on.