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IPL bigger than the EPL? I think not

14th March, 2010
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Expert
14th March, 2010
18
4253 Reads

“I see the IPL is becoming bigger than the NFL, the NBA, the English Premier League.” So said Lalit Modi, Commissioner of the Indian Premier League, ahead of the third instalment of the competition which opened with the Deccan Chargers facing the Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday.

It is a grand proclamation from an ego that has few equals in the cricketing world, but is it based on sound logic or is it nothing more than hyperbole, a statement designed to create headlines and publicity, but with little in the way of foundation?

Call me a killjoy, but I would lean heavily towards the latter as opposed to the former. And this isn’t out of any dislike of the 20-over format which has been proved to have its place at the table.

The chief cause for any scepticism should lie in Modi’s ambitions. He has stated that the IPL is about introducing more people to the game, and to a certain extent this is correct.

Twenty20 the world over has increased attendances and television audiences because of the short and sharp nature of the product on offer.

But Modi’s focus is really on how much money can be generated. He has openly admitted that a spending cap on the participating teams is used to drive up advertising revenues and merchandise sales – not necessarily a bad idea – but if money making is at the top of the agenda initially, it isn’t going to slide down the agenda anytime soon.

And this is where the problem lies.

Modi recently tried to auction off two new franchises with no success and to rival the NFL, NBA and English Premier League, more than a six-week competition would be required.

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To be out of the international consciousness for 85 per cent of the year simply does not lead to worldwide commercial domination, but the inability to introduce new teams suggests that a peak has already been reached.

The competitions Modi wishes to firstly challenge and then usurp are well-established with massive fan bases, a core audience and a share of the market that can’t be wiped out all that easily.

Soccer in America has tried, in fact is still trying, but it can’t break the strangle held by the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball. And soccer is the biggest sport in the world.

Modi has ambition, no-one can deny him that, but it’s hard not to feel that he is barking up the wrong tree entirely.

Money talks and the IPL has its place in the cricketing calendar, however, it can only grow so far without making further dents in the already saturated international schedule, and without growing it won’t force its way into the kind of sphere Modi wants.

Greed can sometimes be a good thing. In Modi’s case, it could be anything but and if I was in charge of the NFL, NBA and Premier League, I wouldn’t be losing any sleep.

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