How the Indian Premier League Has Revolutionised Cricket

"If we look back in 10 years’ time, this is going to be a massive landmark in cricket I think. It's a bit like when the World Series started."

That’s what Brett Lee said, speaking to Sydney's the Daily Telegraph (via Cric Buzz), when the Indian Premier League was first introduced seven years ago. It’s not been a decade just yet, but Monday does mark the anniversary of the first IPL final back in 2008. Love it or hate it, the IPL has made a significant difference in how we view domestic T20 cricket forever. 

It has helped cricket boards around the world understand just how powerful T20 cricket can be, and while Test purists might turn their noses up at the circus, its staying power has been something quite extraordinary.

Monday marks the anniversary of the first IPL final, where Rajasthan Royal beat Chennai Super Kings by three wickets in an enthralling encounter. The tournament itself has undergone a number of changes since then. It has also had a number of scandals. The problems the IPL has cannot be glossed over, but even with all its flaws, the IPL has changed cricket and specifically T20 cricket forever. 

Marketers and administrators now understand the power T20 has, not just in terms of generating revenue, but also as a way of introducing new fans to the game. It has helped players gain financial security and has turned them into superstars. It has also had a knock-on effect on the way some players approach batting.

To mark the anniversary, this feature will attempt to look at the key points where the IPL has had the biggest impact.

Money

Saurabh Das/Associated Press

First and foremost, the IPL has offered cricket’s elite financial security. While this has caused troubled in some quarters like the West Indies, the wealth on offer means that cricketers who earn a contract are set for life.

Cricket’s profit share has often meant that some of the smaller countries lag behind and cannot offer their international players a big pay day. Sportsmen have incredibly short careers, and the IPL has offered many players financial security post-retirement.

This has led to a number of players calling for an IPL window, which is yet to materialise. Chief among those was Daniel Vettori, who in 2011 said that, although the New Zealand Cricket Board has been largely supportive of its players who took part in the tournament, Vettori had hoped that there would be a window of some sort. ESPN Cricinfo quoted him as saying:

"We hope that that window is cleared out because the guys enjoy playing here and there's financial security as well, which helps a lot."

The flipside of this is that some players from the “poorer” boards have turned their backs on central contracts and became so-called mercenaries.

The question is, can you blame them? When cricket’s profits aren’t shared equally and players with heaps of talent do not get the chance to play regular cricket, taking an IPL contract that offers enough money to see them through to retirement is difficult to resist.

Some have feared that the IPL might signal the end of Test cricket as players who play the longest format of the game begin an exodus, which will see them rely solely on T20 income, but the truth is that T20 contracts aren’t just handed out like candy.

Very few players are good enough to be selected regularly, and it’s very difficult to be too critical of those who choose a well-paying T20 gig over a contract from an often mal-administered cricket board.

At the start of the IPL, it also offered recently retired players the chance to boost their income before they finally called it a day.

While players who retired would previously suffer from withdrawal symptoms when they would hang up their boots, they now had the chance to ease out of cricket and earn an income while doing so. Again, these contracts are not handed out to everyone, but those who had successful careers managed to earn a financial boost before retiring completely.

In the long term, one would hope that the IPL has forced boards to rethink their payment structure and their players' welfare. Knowing that there is a looming threat of losing some of your best players might eventually force boards to get their house in order and think about their players first.

A reprieve for coaches

Aman Sharma/Associated Press

Keeping with the financial incentive, the IPL has also offered some coaches a cushion. Coaching an international team is a thankless task. Being away from home for long periods of time and constant pressure to deliver results can take an enormous toll on personal well-being. But the IPL has offered a number of coaches the luxury of choice.

Those who are no longer interested in international jobs only need to work for six weeks of the year in order to earn enough to provide for their families. They can then spend the rest of the year at home taking care of projects they really care about.

Entertainment

T20 has gone from struggling for an identity to becoming the epitome of entertainment or, as some might call it, cricketainment. From cheerleaders to Bollywood stars, the IPL took T20 cricket and made it something marketable. It’s something that has caught on all around the world.

From Australia’s Big Bash to the Caribbean Premier League, almost every single country in the world has realised that their domestic T20 tournament is its money spinner. The TV rights that can be generated from selling the product, especially if some of cricket’s elite internationals take part, has in turn helped boards boost their coffers.

While international players have been playing domestic cricket in a number of countries for years (just think back to County Cricket in England, when Viv Richards et el dominated the scene) knowing how to market it is something the IPL set in motion.

Batting

Cricket is constantly evolving, and while the IPL might not be directly responsible for the batting revolution we’ve seen in recent years, it has played some small part. T20 has bred batsmen who will always attack, no matter what the situation.

Bikas Das/Associated Press

During this year's Cricket World Cup, it became evident just how dominant and fearless batsmen have become. Teams racked up the runs, with 300 totals happening 18 times, 350 four times and 400-plus totals thrice. Just five years ago it was almost unthinkable that teams would score 400 regularly. 

From AB de Villiers to Chris Gayle, David Warner and Brendon McCullum, all regulars in the IPL, the power hitting in one-day cricket and T20 cricket has changed tremendously.

The premise of the IPL as already mentioned, was that it centred around entertainment. For that reason, players upped the ante and played more aggressively. That approach has now become part and parcel of their approach, and the willingness to take risks has increased. With this, techniques have improved and evolved, and players have found different and exciting ways to score runs.