The Indian Premier League Launches

On April 18, 2008, the Indian Premier League (IPL) held its first match, with Brendon McCullum smashing 158 runs to announce that cricket would never be the same. Created by BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi, the IPL combined the shortest format of cricket (Twenty20) with franchise ownership, Bollywood glamour, city-based teams, and eye-watering sums of money. The first franchise auction sold eight teams for a combined $723 million. The IPL attracted the world's best players, offered them salaries that dwarfed international cricket fees, and compressed matches into three-hour entertainment spectacles. By the 2020s, the IPL's media rights were valued at over $6 billion, making it the second-richest sports league per match after the NFL. The tournament transformed cricket from a slow, traditional sport into a fast-paced entertainment product, reshaped the global cricket calendar around Indian commercial interests, and made the BCCI the most powerful organization in world cricket.