What makes the IPL so popular?

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is probably the most popular form of cricket on the planet right now. Of course, India has long had a love affair with the sport and have fielded some magnificent teams over the years. Perhaps the strongest Indian cricket team seen to date was that which went on to win the World Cup in 1983. Anyone looking to bet on the future success of the Indian cricket team would do well to visit sportsbet.io cricket  for what would likely to one of the safest bets they have ever made. 

What is it about the IPL that makes it so popular though? Is it just because whenever India get involved with cricket it turns to gold or is there more to it than this?

The need for a change

If you look back to the turn of the millennium, cricket as a whole was not in the best place. Whereas once stands would be sold out for entire test matches, a new generation, perhaps, lost patience. Who wanted to wait days on end for the outcome of a match? Seemingly, no one did. That saw attendance numbers fall as well as a lack of interest in betting on the sport.

Those that seek the thrill of betting need a sport that delivers. The sport needs to be exciting, fast-paced, and engaging. Test cricket just didn’t offer this. The solution? The introduction of T20 cricket. A game that took much less time to complete and one that got the fans interested again. A match was decided in the space of 3-4 hours rather than 3-4 days.

Why sports betting matters

The popularity of a sport can be gauged by the amount of money that changes hands at online bookmakers. Sports that attract millions of fans see the greatest amount of money wagered on the outcomes. As you’d expect, football, rugby, and American Football see unbelievable sums of money being bet. These are sports that offer all that punters are looking for.

Test cricket had a market for sports bets, but this didn’t compare to other sports at all. The advent of T20 changed this. While certain countries mocked the format, India embraced it. The IPL adopted the T20 format and with its interest in the sport, and betting, skyrocketed.

Bringing families back together

Historically, cricket has always been an important sport in India and one that they have excelled in. This made the sport almost a part of the culture of the country. Families would gather together to watch test matches and youngsters would be encouraged to pursue the sport. The old ways saw this tradition take a downturn as youngsters just couldn’t get excited about the game. T20 and the IPL changes all of that.

The IPL now has generations of the same family in love with the sport again. Families are watching their favourite teams play while youngsters want to be the next stars. The real reason the IPL is so popular is that it is the saviour of the sport’s future in India.