Fifteen years ago, the world of cricket was transformed forever with the birth of the Indian Premier League (IPL) – a league that captured the hearts of fans across the globe with its incredible drama and unforgettable moments. From Brendon McCullum’s historic 158* (73) in the inaugural match, to the rise of young talents like Ravindra Jadeja, the IPL has provided a platform for both established stars and up-and-coming players to showcase their skills on the biggest stage.
So I was excited thinking about which team I’ll go to and play. But IPL 2018, was an emotional moment for us in CSK because we came back after a break of 2 years. Fans were also waiting for CSK to come back and play in Chepauk Stadium. So winning the tournament after the comeback was something very special. CSK fans who waited for us and even supported the team in those 2 years even when we didn’t play, that gave us a lot of motivation.”
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri reminisced about the first day of the IPL, he said “I remember that day very well, I was backstage, I was with the governing council, I knew what is happening behind the scenes. How are players being signed, and how much interest was there. India won the World Cup in 2007, so because of that, the amount of interest that was created was unbelievable. And the one thing that I saw that never happened in other formats of the game, was the kind of people that came to support it, it looked like the entire nation was united to come there and watch the match. The advertising industry, cricket fans, Bollywood, Kollywood, Tollywood, you name it, everyone was there. And the quality of cricket that was seen from the first game itself, there was no substitute for that.”
“And if you look at all the players who played a part in this, the quality of cricket was so good that it took off. But the final stamp on the IPL came when we went to South Africa. To go there and to see that South Africa saw the IPL with the same interest as India, shocked the world. Because by that time, people around the world had started picking teams. What you see in football now, that had happened in the IPL from the second season itself. The EPL has been going on for years, teams like Arsenal and Manchester United, but here in two years fans in IPL had their teams – Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, or Royal Challengers Bangalore.”
