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History

Organisers of the Indian Premier League’s fourth edition will hope the tournament will erase the shenanigans that have dominated the build-up.

The ouster of Lalit Modi as the tournament commissioner, the fracas over ownership of the Kochi franchise as well as the judicial proceedings initiated against the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab had threatened to derail one of the most popular events ever held in India after a mere three seasons.

Established in the aftermath of India’s 2007 ICC World Twenty20 triumph, the league was instantly embraced by the masses in India and later by the entire cricket-playing world.

The tournament comprised 59 matches from April 18, 2008 to June 1, 2008 with each team playing the other in a home and away format.

Rajasthan Royals were crowned champions of the first edition of the Indian Premier League. Considered one of the lightweights of the tournament, the Shane Warne-inspired outfit defeated the Chennai Super Kings in a last ball thriller at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai to lift the inaugural IPL trophy.

The second edition was confronted by some massive obstacles. It coincided with the general elections in India, which meant that the government could not spare any security forces for the tournament.

With the cloud of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks still hanging over the country and player security a major issue, it was decided to shift the tournament to South Africa. It was a triumph of logistics, for despite the short notice, the United Cricket Board of South Africa put up a marvellous show.

The cricket was enthralling too, with the results showing a complete reverse from the previous year. Deccan Chargers, who had finished rock bottom in 2008, came out on top, followed by the Royal Challengers Bangalore who had been placed seventh in the first edition.

The third season saw 66 players up for auction but only 11 were sold, with most teams opting to maintain their core of their respective teams. This tournament was touched by politics as well, with defending champions Deccan Chargers forced to play their home games in Nagpur, Mumbai and Cuttack, due to political unrest in and around Hyderabad.

The finalists from 2009 were both beaten in the semis this time. Royal Challengers Bangalore lost out to Sachin Tendulkar’s Mumbai Indians while the Deccan Chargers were defeated by Chennai Super Kings.

The final was held at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai and Tendulkar’s outfit were the emotional favourites, but they were trumped by MS Dhoni’s well-gelled Chennai side. The Super Kings healed their 2008 heartbreak with a 22-run win over the home side.

Preparations for the 2011 edition began on a promising note with the announcement of two new IPL franchises – Pune and Kochi. However, the excitement was soon overshadowed by a controversy surrounding the latter. A twitter by Modi regarding the ownership pattern of the Kochi Tuskers opened a Pandora’s Box of allegations and counter-allegations, with then cabinet minister Shashi Tharoor embroiled in the saga too.

The fallout from the affair resulted in Tharoor resigning from his position and Modi being deposed as the IPL commissioner. After months of uncertainty, Kochi’s participation in the tournament was finally confirmed in December 2010.

The future of Kings XI Punjab and 2008 winners Rajasthan Royals was unclear too, with both teams expelled from the BCCI for alleged financial irregularities. However, both won the right to continue their participation after lodging appeals in the Mumbai High Court.

The IPL auction, held in January 2011, helped to take the spotlight away from the unsavoury story, with news of Gautam Gambhir’s acquisition by the Kolkata Knight Riders for US$ 2.4 million taking centre-stage. The Pathan brothers, Yusuf and Irfan, were big winners too – netting US$ 2.1 million and US$ 1.9 respectively.

According to global sports salaries review, IPL is the second highest-paid league, based on first-team salaries, next only to the NBA. It is estimated that the average salary of an IPL player over a year would be 17.7 crore (USD 3.91 million).

In 2010, IPL became the first sporting event ever to be broadcast live on the YouTube. Its brand value was estimated to be around 18,000 crore (USD 3.98 billion) the same year.

The massive popularity of the IPL is laid bare by these numbers. With all the off-field issues seemingly sorted or at least swept under the carpet for now, hopefully the tournament will live up to the fans’ expectations yet again.