- As the popular saying goes, the change is the only constant; the game of cricket, too, has transformed from the conventional five-day Tests to fifty-over one-day internationals to the shortest format of twenty-overs each that gets completed in three-and-a-half hours. The shortest format of the game has gained immense popularity, an unparalleled following, and humongous revenue flowing into the coffers of the respective cricket boards means the latest version is here to stay. The present generation of youngsters is used to embracing everything appearing in a fast-forward mode, driven by the cutting-edge technology-based solutions just a touch away. Little wonder, the younger lot wish to wholeheartedly consume the T20 cricket with gay abandon.
PC: Indian Premier League Official Website
- As you are aware, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is considered one of the richest sporting events in the world by virtue of generating mindboggling revenue from advertisements, endorsements, sponsorships, print/media/digital rights, in-stadium advertisements, and merchandising. Unsurprisingly, every worthy internationally acclaimed cricketer wishes to showcase their skills on the biggest sporting platform in front of teeming crowds, unrestricted in their enthusiasm. So much so that some of the established cricketers have announced retirement from traditional Test cricket to concentrate on playing in the T20s around the world. The BCCI must be credited for showing the way for other boards to follow suit with so many T20 leagues mushrooming.
PC: Lucknow Super Giants
- Close followers of the game would have noticed how T20 cricket has metamorphosed over the last few years into an entertaining format, constantly looking at introducing innovations to keep the crazy fans interested. Inarguably, the format is loaded in favour of the batters since the paying public throngs the stadiums to watch sixes and fours galore. Arguments are not out of place when cricket connoisseurs term T20 as a no-context format, since the bat mostly tends to dominate the ball. Look not far from how the IPL has evolved over the last seventeen years. Yes, the ongoing edition of the IPL is the eighteenth. A decade back, a score of 130 to 150 in 20 overs used to be considered as a par target set up by the team batting first. Not anymore.
PC: Cricbuzz.com
Two-hundred-plus scores have almost become the norm of late, with every franchise targeting to notch up this target to keep the opposition from even attempting to overtake the same. However, what this edition of the IPL has shown is that even a two-hundred-plus score is not considered safe any longer, since the chasing teams have overhauled the target well before the quota of twenty overs. The batters have not only become stronger but also started hitting the big shots right from the first delivery. It should not come as a surprise if the hitherto unthinkable score of three hundred in twenty overs is breached sooner rather than later. The paying public is not complaining since the entertainment quotient has gone several notches above.
