How the IPL changed the way cricket is played and became the world's T20 league

Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne
The IPL brought the best players in the world together Credit: GETTY IMAGES

From the moment of its inception, the Indian Premier League became cricket’s equivalent of the NBA basketball competition. It is a domestic competition, yet one which brings together virtually all of the world’s best cricketers.

The IPL is not just India’s domestic T20 league; it is also the world’s T20 league.

This process began one heady night in Bangalore 10 years ago, when Brendon McCullum walked out to open the batting in the first-ever innings in the Indian Premier League. He did not score a run in the first six balls, then lashed his seventh through midwicket for four. By the time he was done, McCullum had scored 158 not out: a number that ranks among the most iconic in the sport’s history. ...

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