ABSTRACT
In the three years since its inception, the Indian Premier League (IPL), a Twenty20 cricket tournament based in India, has become one of world sports’ foremost properties. The IPL as of 2010 has a valuation of $4.13 billion and is the second highest paying league in the world. This article seeks to identify the factors that could be accounted for in the phenomenal growth of the IPL brand. While the IPL, in its short lifespan, has shown tremendous growth, the shortness of life span should be taken into account when passing a judgment on its ‘success’. Thus any conclusions drawn on the IPL’s relative success will be gained in an interim rather than a definite sense. Cricket is immensely popular in India to the extent that other sports often receive only passing mention in the country. However, the popularity of cricket alone could not have made the IPL run. The success of any league, and not just the IPL, is dependent on the presence of a solid foundation. The article thus attempts to identify the extent to which the IPL is based on such a solid foundation.
