Five Reasons why cricket is so popular in India 

#1 T20 and the IPL

IPL matches are always played in front of full houses

India might have first become infatuated with the game when it was played in one format and later on, in two formats, however the latest and shortest version of the game has turned cricket into the unofficial national game.

As everyone is probably aware by now, the BCCI had no inclination to be part of the World T20 back in 2007, but after India's triumph in the tournament, thing's changed and the very next year, the IPL was launched.

Cricket in India was never the same again, as the world's best cricketers became a part of the league and the country became the default capital of world cricket.

IPL matches are almost always played in front of full houses and they have made cricket the most-watched game in the country. The TV and digital rights for the next five years of the tournament went to Star India for a whopping $2.5 billion, making it the biggest deal in cricket history and that probably is the biggest proof of how the IPL soared the popularity of cricket in the country to stratospheric levels.