Rise and fall of IPL brand

Within a decade of reaching stratospheric heights in its inaugural year, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has plumbed from one new depth to another into what appears to be a bottomless hole.
Today's order of the Supreme Court-appointed Lodha Committee to suspend two top teams that have won the cash-awash T20 Leagues in the past, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, for two years from the T20 competition is yet another body blow not only to IPL's brand name but also to its owners, Cricket Board (BCCI).
It was in 2008, in the aftermath of India's disastrous World Cup campaign in the West Indies followed by the floating of a rival T20 League - Indian Cricket League - by the Essel Group, that the BCCI finally decided to start its own T20 League and appointed Lalit Modi, who conceptualised it, as its supreme boss.

The 'carte blanche' given to Modi by the BCCI had its upswings as well as downswings as the suave former IPL Commissioner made it the hottest property in the game with his innovative ideas in conjunction with marketing partners - IMG.
The IPL blasted off in its first year to uncharted highs even before the start of the competition.
The sale of its eight franchise teams by the BCCI for hundreds of millions of dollars caught the fancy of the cricket world.

This was followed by the unprecedented player auction when Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the first ever million-dollar buy in world cricket with CSK, owned by India Cements, bidding successfully to buy the Ranchi-born wicket keeper batsman, increased the awe further.

The auction, held in Mumbai, saw friends-turned-foes Modi and N Srinivasan, the then treasurer and chairman cum MD of India Cements that had bought CSK after a subtle change had been effected to the BCCI's Memorandum of Rules and Regulations, addressing the media at the auction with beaming faces.
Trouble started from the second year of the tournament itself as it had to be held off shores - in South Africa - as its dates clashed with the country's general elections.