The finals of IPL 2009 just got over in South Africa. Deccan beat Bangalore in a match that ebbed and flowed right till the last over. It was fun watching the match with friends in the US. I think the IPL will go a long way in making cricket more internationally well known for a variety of reasons.
First- it all gets over in under four hours. One of the biggest complaints of a lot of my friends abroad about learning cricket has been that it takes too long. This version is like a baseball game and you ALWAYS get a result!
Second- the combination of cricket with bollywood is a superlative idea. The glitz and glamor add to the excitement.
Third- the possibility of watching the finest players in the world on one stage.
The IPL revolution is reminiscent of the Packer revolution in the late seventies. The way Packer changed the way one day cricket was played is how IPL will change the way the shorter of the form of the game will internationalize cricket going forward.
As a purist, I still like 5 day cricket but I have been glued to the IPL over the last four weeks and I cant think of too many test series that can have me riveted for that long!
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