As the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) gets underway, the commentary focuses on its dramatic transformational impact. There is no doubt that the tournament, now one of the world’s richest leagues, has revolutionised the sport, domestically and globally. It has, most importantly, widened the market for cricketing talent, enabling aspirants from smaller towns and a wider socio-economic background to consider cricket as a viable career. Institutionally, it has spawned offshoots from Australia, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, and South Africa to Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Caribbean. The skills and attacking play that the T20 format has brought to the game has transformed the hitherto languishing longer formats; more Test matches, for instance, ending in a result rather than a draw in recent years. As the valuation of the original eight teams of franchises (10 are competing in the 2025 edition) touches $2 billion and the broadcaster, JioStar, targets ₹6,000 crore in ad revenue through 32 major sponsorship deals, the IPL’s glittering success should prompt introspection from its owner, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on the direction and future of the sport.

)