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IPL: THE FIRST EDITION
F lost their first match to Delhi Daredevils by nine wickets with
ebruary 20, 2008 was always going to be a special day in
the cricketing world. plenty of time to spare, the writing seem to be on the wall.
The venue was Mumbai’s exclusive Hilton Oberoi ballroom, However, the scriptwriters had not reckoned with Shane Warne.
venue for the multi-million dollar player auction. As IPL franchise There may never have been a more charismatic performance as
owners bid for big name cricketers who would represent them captain of a major cricket team since Imran Khan exhorted his
in the weeks to come, the cricket community held its breath apparently down-and-out Pakistan side to fight like ‘cornered
and the world of cricket braced itself for a new era. Then the tigers’ at the 1992 World Cup. Warne, with the help of Sohail
sums started to pour in – US$1.5 million for Mahendra Singh Tanvir, Shane Watson and his one-time foe turned teammate
Dhoni, US$1.35 million for Andrew Symonds, and even $950,000 Graeme Smith, cajoled his Indian youngsters to a glorious
for the inexperienced Ishant Sharma triumph. They went on to win 13 of their remaining 15 matches,
including a gripping final against Chennai Super Kings off the
Fast-forward a couple of months later to Friday, April 18. The last ball. Warne was later to say that his side were ‘destined’ to
venue this time – M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. The win that game. No one in his senses would argue with that.
opening ceremony was like nothing cricket had ever seen
before. The glitz. The glamour. Surely, it would not have been To IPL’s credit though, the public’s imagination was caught
out of place as a curtain raiser to the Olympic Games. even before Warne had cast his mesmerising spell on the
tournament. Bollywood graced the occasion like never before,
But what about the game itself? Enter Brendon McCullum of with Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Katerina Kaif and Akshay
Kolkata Knight Riders. In true knight rider fashion, he went Kumar lending their support to their chosen franchises. If there
berserk to smash 158 not out in 73 balls. Even the Royal is one thing Indians love to indulge in as much as cricket, it is
Challengers supporters felt compelled to join in the applause. their love of all things Bollywood.
The IPL was up and running.
Sure, the early matches of the IPL attracted huge television
Every major sport event needs a good storyline. The inaugural audiences, what with the thorough pre-competition marketing
IPL did even better than that. It produced a plot so improbable blitz across India. What was remarkable was the manner in
it would have been laughed at as a fantasy movie by India’s which viewers tuned in to watch the matches, as if it was the
filmgoers. At the start of the tournament, Rajasthan Royals national side itself playing.
were everyone’s idea of the perfect whipping boys. Their
franchise, bought by Manoj Badale’s Emerging Media, had cost TV ratings suggested 12.5 million viewers tuned in to watch the
just US$67 million. The next cheapest franchise was Kolkata at opening skirmishes between Bangalore Royal Challengers and
just over US$75 million. Compare that with Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, which translated into 8.21 TRPs. Even the
the costliest of the lot at US$112 million. And when the Royals next two matches produced TRPs of 4.97 and 5.58. Compare that
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