NEIL MANTHORP: It’s just not cricket like we knew it
The megamoney IPL has a stranglehold over schedules that will not easily be loosened
At first there was denial followed by acceptance and, now, powerless acquiescence. When the Indian Premier League (IPL) was formed a dozen years ago its ascent to the all-powerful position it commands at the top of the game was foreseen by many and dreaded by some. Or vice-versa.
Quite how strong the IPL’s stranglehold is remains underappreciated by the majority of the world’s cricket lovers, but it won’t be for much longer. The numbers tell a story, but only to the financially literate. The biennial Ashes, currently under threat of relocation or postponement, is worth around $200m to Cricket Australia. The IPL is worth almost four times that much — every year. ..
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