It’s that time of the year when the world’s greatest cricketers set foot in India for the biggest and most lucrative Twenty20 tournament – the Indian Premier League.
It’s here where money talks on and off the field. In recent years the cricketing calendar has been packed with international matches and Twenty20 tournaments that seem to step on one another but there’s only one league that stands heads and shoulders over them. The IPL has had a meteoric rise since its inception in 2008 and it’s now valued at $10 billion US with its media rights worth $6 billion.
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According to YouGov, the cumulative viewership of IPL 2022 was close to 500 million. With the tournament set to be shown for free across India this year that number is expected to cross a billion. Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani won the rights to stream the IPL for $2.6 billion and Star India, owned by US giant Disney, retained the IPL television rights for the next five seasons. Together the two deals are reportedly worth about $5.65 billion, dwarfing the $2.55 billion that the Star paid in 2017 for digital and TV rights. Star India retained the TV contract for $3.02 billion.
The figures put the IPL among the highest-ranked sport leagues alongside the NFL in the U.S. and the English Premier League in cost-per-match terms, according to the BBC.
When the first ball is bowled on Friday at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the largest cricket facility with 132,000 seats, there will be millions of fans including thousands in Canada that will tune in for the non-stop action. The 2023 version of the IPL will feature 10 teams with Gujarat Titans looking to finish on top of the league once again when it ends on May 28.
The players are paid a hefty stipend for the two-month-long tournament and all eyes will be on all-rounder Sam Curran who has become the highest-paid player in the history of the competition. The Punjab Kings broke the bank to shell out a princely $2.26 million for his services.
There was an intense bidding war for the all-rounder between Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings before Punjab won the honours. The previous highest bid record was held by South African all-rounder Chris Morris at a whopping $2.2 million in 2021 by who else but the Punjab Kings.
Others who made a huge splash on the auction block included Australian all-rounder Cameron Green who was signed by Mumbai Indians for $2.14 million followed by Indian batsman KL Rahul to Lucknow Super Kings for $2 million and England Test captain Ben Stokes who was signed by Chennai Super Kings for $1.98 million. Five others who were inked for $1.95 million included West Indies wicket-keeper Nicholas Pooran by Lucknow; Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai); West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders) and Indian Test captain Rohit Sharma who stayed with Mumbai Indians.
Four others who would have rated highly on the money chart would have been wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and England’s Jonny Bairstow who were all ruled out by injury. Star Australian batsman Steve Smith did not offer himself for selection but has landed a gig as a TV commentator.
At this early stage, it is tough to predict the winner of this league but many are putting their rupees on defending champion Gujarat led by India all-star Hardik Pandya. One can expect five-time IPL champion Mumbai Indians led by Rohit Sharma to bounce back after a disappointing 2022. There should be some exciting cricket in store as the leading players will be determined to put on a show to land a berth on their national teams for the World Twenty20 Cup scheduled for India later in the year.
SMASHING PROTEAS
It rained sixes and fours at the Centurion and the deluge was nothing short of spectacular. South Africa set a world record for the highest chase in a Twenty20 match and both Johnson Charles and Quinton de Kock smashed centuries. It was the first Twenty20 match in history that featured more than 500 runs.
After visiting West Indies piled on 258 for five the home team responded with 259 for four in a match that will not be forgotten in a hurry. The muscular Charles hammered a 39-ball century and his magnificent 60-minute stay at the wicket included 11 sixes and 10 fours. If that knock was sensational the fans were in store for another hitting frenzy that followed. Wicket-keeper de Kock made a 44-ball 100 with eight sixes and nine fours. South Africa now turns its attention to visiting the Netherlands in a must-win two-match series. South Africa needs to win both to qualify for the Twenty20 World Cup later this year or will face a long qualification route. On paper, it may look easy but the Netherlands shocked the Proteas the last time they met.
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