"It's A Monster In The Sporting World And A Proud Moment For The Indians" - Ravichandran Ashwin On The IPL

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said that the immense growth of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is due to the privatization of the league by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The IPL was started in 2008 and has grown to become the second-biggest league in terms of money after the NFL in America. It led to the introduction of franchise leagues by other cricketing boards over the years.

“The BCCI has privatized the IPL. They brought in private ownership, and franchises were made to run the teams professionally, and that’s the major reason why the IPL is a billion-dollar league today. It’s a monster in the sporting world and is indeed a very proud moment for the Indians,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

The BCCI recently held the auction for the media rights and the value of the league shot to INR 105 crores per match, only behind the NFL and ahead of the biggest football league in the world, Premier League.

“In the cricketing world, many feel that they should privatize these leagues” – Ravichandran Ashwin

At the moment, ECB and CA haven’t privatized their respective tournaments. They own the leagues but the best move to make is to hand over control to franchises, something that CSA has done with its new league.

“The Hundred and Big Bash League (BBL) haven’t privatized it yet. Cricket Australia and England Cricket Board currently own the entire BBL and The Hundred respectively. In the cricketing world, many feel that they should privatize these leagues.”

“South Africa is a massive cricket market and they have made this pathbreaking move to privatize it. We already have a massive Indian presence in South Africa. So, almost all IPL teams have bought a team in the CSA’s new T20 league,” Ashwin also mentioned.

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