5 ways the IPL has changed the way cricket is played

Ever since its inception in 2008, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has gone on to become one of the biggest T20 leagues in the world. Filled with glitz and glamour, the cash-rich league is not just good for businesses to make money, but also remains a big reason for the way the game is played today.

The popularity of the IPL has been growing with every season. Every year, we get to witness breathtaking moments on the field that captivate the audience so much, that we can easily say that the IPL has set the benchmark for T20 cricket and T20 leagues around the world.

We shall now take a look at the five biggest ways in which IPL has changed the way cricket is played in 2018.

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5. Emergence of leaders

Rohit Sharma

When the IPL was first launched in 2008, only experienced veterans were selected to lead a franchise. This meant that in order to captain an IPL team, players must’ve had some form of leadership experience. There was also this myth that the most experienced and most talented person should be selected to lead.

But that isn’t the case anymore. Over the years, the IPL has seen youngsters emerge as leaders. Some of them have gone to become successful captains for their franchise as well as their country. Some names that come to mind are Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer etc. And this holds true not just for just the young players, but also for the experienced players who wouldn’t have gotten a chance to captain a team. This distribution of leadership has helped the national team's dressing room get filled with leaders who are more than capable of handling pressure situations.

A look at the Indian dressing room will show players like Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik etc. who have all been placed in a leadership role within their franchises. This has also helped India emerge as one of the most dominant cricket powerhouses in the world.

Therefore, there is no doubt that the IPL has played its hand in molding youngsters into capable leaders.

4. Youth development

Rishabh Pant with Rahul Dravid

One of the best parts of the IPL every season is the list of uncapped players. No longer is the IPL about fans watching their favorite legends take the field. Now, the spotlight is all on the unknown players. Since its inception, the IPL has done a fairly good job of producing young players who have gone on to steal the show over a span of a few years.

This is due to the fact that the IPL provides a platform for young cricketers to showcase their talent and learn from seasoned campaigners. By placing these young players in stressful situations on the field, they are able to further develop their skills.

Only in the IPL can a young player like Rishabh Pant get to share a dressing room with the likes of Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir, and Ricky Ponting.

Apart from sharing the dugout with various superstars of game, the huge exposure that the tournament brings can be considered an added advantage. Every match draws in huge crowds, and playing in these situations can make the younger players more accustomed to such situations. This way, when they have to play in front of large crowds, they won’t feel the pressure.

3. Innovative batting

AB de Villiers

The advent of T20 cricket called for batsman to be more aggressive with the bat and also gave big hitters a chance to show their power and talent. As more players are getting familiar with the format, we are getting to see huge totals being chased effortlessly. Today, even a total of 180+ can be easily chased down with the right batting combination.

This is due to the fact that the batsmen had to reinvent themselves over the years. It isn’t just about power hitting like it was 10 years ago. Now, it has become about outsmarting the bowlers with good shot selection, timing and placement. The technique that the younger players use at the crease are impeccable. For example, we see players like Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant smacking the ball to almost any part of the ground.

What’s even more fascinating, is the fact that this technique has carried over into the 50-over format where a total of 320 is achievable on a decent batting track. This clearly shows the impact that the IPL has had on modern day batting. T20 batting is at its finest now and it is only expected to get better from here.

2. Bowling variations

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Just as batsmen are trying to get better with their techniques, bowlers are also secretly adding slight variations to their bowling. When T20 cricket was introduced, fans and cricket pundits alike thought that it would spell the end for bowlers.

However in 2018, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Back in the day, we got to witness bowlers like Shoaib Akhtar, Brett Lee, Shaun Tait, Wasim Akram and others run in and bowl as fast as they can. It’s clear that they were all wicket-taking bowlers, but as batsmen started to modify their techniques, bowlers needed to come up with different variations instead of the usual swinging deliveries.

This gave rise to new deliveries like back of the hand slower ball, carrom ball, knuckle ball, wide yorker etc. Today, we can see bowlers remove pace off the ball in an attempt to deceive batsmen into playing their short early. If done correctly, this can lead to the downfall of a entire batting order.

Looking at the IPL in recent years, we have seen teams with a good bowling lineup (like Sunrisers Hyderabad) perform extremely well. There is now a heavy demand for seamers who can vary their pace so much so that one-dimensional fast bowlers are now a thing of the past.

Bowlers are trying to be as unpredictable as possible and those that succeed are able deliver standout performances for their team in crunch situations.

1. Rise of other T20 leagues around the world

Hazratullah Zazai

The success of the IPL over the years has paved way for other countries to host their own version of the tournament. Though not as successful, it offers players another platform to showcase their skills. Over the years, we have witnessed the formation of the Pakistan Super League, Caribbean Premier League, Afghanistan Premier League and many more.

This is probably the biggest way the IPL has changed the world of cricket because now players who don’t get the chance to play in the IPL, still get the chance to play in these leagues. This has helped many unknown players come into limelight, especially from associate countries.

A good example is the Afghanistan Premier League. The tournament was a huge success and helped put Afghan cricket on the map. Players like Hazratullah Zazai and Mohammad Shahzad are now in the cross-hairs of IPL franchises and will probably set off a bidding war amongst the top teams. In 2019 IPL auctions, as many as 27 Afghanistan players have enrolled themselves in the auction pool.

In the coming years we will get to witness more players from associate nations step up and perform on T20 cricket’s grandest stage.