'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAIAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQb/2gAIAQEAAAAALuf/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/9oACAECEAAAAE//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/9oACAEDEAAAAH//xAAiEAACAgEDBAMAAAAAAAAAAAACAwEEBQAREwYSISJRYbH/2gAIAQEAAT8AXgpqZq5i6eE58ilkCTbQuYIb+3md5XA/uq3TOPKuonI42yESYLrD2jPxH1r/xAAWEQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAAH/2gAIAQIBAT8AS03/xAAXEQEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABEQAC/9oACAEDAQE/AE5STf/Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
What's the story?
According to recent industry studies, the rise in sports fans across the country has directly impacted the growth of sports tourism, which has sky-rocketed to a 10-12% surge in the last year with Indians travelling all over the world to catch a glimpse of their favourite sports stars in action.
In a country such as India where cricket is played in every gully and is enjoyed by all age groups, it comes as no surprise that the Indian Premier League is one of the biggest sports leagues in the world, attracting large crowds from the country and abroad as well.
Trending
In case you didn't know
The emergence of high profile leagues such as the Pro Kabaddi League and Indian Super League has also witnessed a massive surge in viewership ratings with the Indian crowd educating themselves about niche sports such as Kabaddi, Badminton etc.
Heart of the Matter
Over the last few years, Indians have also travelled to other countries to watch sports such as F1, the Premier League and the NBA. While cricket continues to occupy a special interest in the heart of the Indians, the growing interest to watch other sports live has only grown multi-fold.
What is interesting to see is the increase in viewership for major tournaments such as ICC tournaments, the Olympics which has also translated into a vacation destination for most fans, who travel with their families to catch the action.
The increase in the number of Indians travelling to countries abroad to watch a particular sport has been a huge boon to the sports industry, which has shot up to close to about USD 7 billion in 2017, a massive boost to the economy.
What's next?
The meteoric rise recorded will only continue with lucrative leagues such as the PKL, PBL and the ISL adding to the flair of the IPL apart from big tournaments abroad.
Author's Take
It is indeed heartening to see the surge in viewership of not only cricket but all the sports from an Indian standpoint which can only help improve the infrastructure in the country and aid the development of young sports stars in the country.
