10 Things that define the IPL

The biggest cricket extravaganza is back and the excitement has grown manifold. The Indian Premier League is the perfect advertisement of the craze that the game of cricket has in India. Not only has the IPL grabbed the attention of the Indian crowds, it has also spread its wings across the globe with some super exciting brand of cricket. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the IPL defines the game of modern cricket in the country. But what defines the IPL? Here are the 10 things that define the IPL, for the exciting league that it is! 1. Fans and the atmosphere: Kolkata: Fans cheer during an IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, on April 13, 2016. (Photo Source: IANS) Undoubtedly it is the fans that have made the game of cricket so popular in India. When the IPL arrived and was in its initial stages, it was the fans who made the T20 extravaganza a big hit. The crowds flocked the stadiums to full capacities and the atmosphere at every IPL venue was jampacked. The same story has continued since the inaugural edition and there have rarely been sights of empty stands in an IPL game. Even when the tournament moved to South Africa in its second season, the IPL saw full houses in the rainbow nation too. For the fans, IPL is absolute entertainment. Truth be told, the fans define the IPL! 2. International stars and the veterans hit back: Bengaluru: AB de Villiers of Royal Challengers Bangalore in action during an IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, on April 17, 2016. (Photo Source: IANS) The very essence of the IPL is the fact that the young domestic talent get a chance to rub shoulders with the international greats. IPL pioneered in this era of T20 leagues where the international stars take centre stage. The involvement that the international players show and the emotions that are on display is enthralling to see. The chants of ABD when AB de Villiers walks in to bat at Bengaluru is a moment worth reliving again and again! The stars of yesterday do have more to give to the game of cricket and what better platform than IPL to do so! From players like Tendulkar to Dravid, Hayden to Hussey and Ponting to Watson, all have played IPL after retiring from international cricket. Getting a chance to witness the legends in action all over again is certainly something that defines the IPL. 3. The domestic guns in the making: Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders player Manish Pandey in action during an IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, on April 13, 2016. (Photo Source: IANS) We might all crib about the rule of having only four international stars in the playing eleven. But the point remains that the IPL is all about honing the domestic talent. It has been the ideal launch pad for the young cricketers to not just play in front of big crowds but to become big names. Every year we see a new star emerging from the domestic circuit. Ravindra Jadeja, Manish Pandey, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, all of them are the products of the IPL. The ocean of domestic talent is the heart of the IPL. 4. On-field drama: A heated exchange of words between Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli took place in IPL 6. (Photo Source:BCCI) Players of the modern day game share a great camaraderie off the field. But the intensity that they show on the field is simply a treat. Some might say it is not in the spirit of the game but the aggression and intensity that the players put in adds up to the excitement. From verbal spat between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir to a heated exchange between Mitchell Starc and Kieron Pollard, we have seen it all on the IPL stage. 5. Close finishes: Pune: JP Faulkner of Gujarat Lions celebrates after winning against Rising Pune Supergiants in an IPL match at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on April 29, 2016. (Photo Source: Nitin Lawate/IANS) The amount of International T20 being played these days is not huge when compared to the leagues that are floating around and IPL is the longest spanning T20 league. Despite being a 50-day long tournament, it manages to keep the interest of the fans intact with close games. On most occasions, the Indian wickets provide high scoring encounters which go down the wire. Close finishes and a tied game or two are often on the cards when it kicks off. The evenly matched sides always get the close finishes on the display and this defines the league of IPL. What is the highest successful run chase in IPL? – Top 10 successful chases in IPL 6. The grand ceremony: (Photo Source: Twitter) The Indian Premier League kicks off with a bang. A host of celebrities perform in the opening ceremony. It is always said that something that starts well, ends well. The way the tournament starts with a grand opening ceremony, a lot of attention automatically goes into the game. The big stars from the glamour world perform on the night of the ceremony, adding the glitters to the tournament. Be it King Khan or Bollywood divas, the performances light up the tournament. The closing ceremony too is a lively event. The champions celebrate in joy and the fans absolutely love it. 7. Glitz and glamour: Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta. (Photo Source: NDTV) The IPL is very popular among all the celebrities. The celebrities love the game as much as the normal crowd does. It provides the stage when we see the celebrities sport their support to their franchisees. It is always nice to see the loyalties split during the tournament. The presence of celebrities makes the event look bigger and grander. In addition to these, the advertisements are fun to watch too. In fact, most of us wait for the zoo-zoo ads that appear during the course of the league! 8. After match parties: @rohitsharma45 smears cake all over @parthiv9 as the team celebrates their win! #DilSeIndian #MumbaiIndians #MI A post shared by Mumbai Indians (@mumbaiindians) on Apr 25, 2016 at 2:08pm PDT Much like the players enjoy on the field, the franchise owners always have something more in store for the players. Teams cut cakes, smear it over each other’s face or pop a bottle of champagne after every successful game and make sure the boys are relaxed after a tense match. Be it the RCB camp partying with DJ Gayle playing the tunes or be it Glenn Maxwell shoot the videos for KXIP dressing room; it is all a delight to watch – something that we do not usually get to see during the international games. 9. The Franchises: Shah Rukh Khan. (Photo Source: BCCI) The franchises are the core of the tournament. The franchise owners add a lot of zeal to the tournament with their involvement in the teams. Watching Shah Rukh Khan cheer his KKR boys, Mrs. Ambani applaud the Mumbai Indians from the sidelines or Preity Zinta jump in joy at the exploits of the Kings, it is all a treat for the game. All the franchises have their fan following. The highly active social media pages and the advertisements that come up during the tournament are engaging and entertaining too. Even if there is a franchise that comes for a season or too, the fan support that it garners is huge! 10. Extraaa Innings! (Photo Source: Twitter) The last on the list but certainly not the least is the pre-match and the post-match show, ‘Extraaa Innings T20’. Extra innings has been an integral part of the IPL ever since its first edition. From the cheerleaders to the Thoko Band, from the beats of the drum and music to Sidhu’s long phrases, every bit of the show is entertaining. 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