The India Premier League made its debut was introduced in 2008 and from the get-go, its success in cricket-obsessed seemed preordained. During the latest season, the IPL had a total viewership of 552 million, the highest crowds it has attracted in its seven seasons to date.
But six years later, several other sports have borrowed lessons from the cricket extravaganza to launch their own leagues. As a result, fans now have the opportunity to follow the Indian Badminton League, the Indian Super League (football), two tennis leagues and even two kabaddi leagues.
Here's now they have fared.
Indian Super League
(Northeast United FC via Twitter)
On December 20, the inaugural season of the ISL for football came to an end. Hero MotoCorp signed a three-year agreement to become the title sponsors of the league. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, John Abraham, Sourav Ganguly have bought into various teams. The season featured big-names like Alessandro Del Piero, Robert Pires, David James (admittedly a little past their prime) and a host of promising Indian talent. Already, the ISL is the fourth-most attended professional football league on average in the world.
Pro Kabaddi League and the World Kabaddi League
(Balram via Twitter)
This year saw the birth of not one but two kabaddi leagues. The Pro Kabaddi League, an initiative of Mashal Sports and TV partners Star Sports, saw Abhishek Bachchan’s Jaipur Pink Panthers winning the first season, which concluded on August 31. Future Group, Unilazer Sports and Rajesh Shah are some of the other team owners.
The league was heavily promoted by Star Sports and it paid off. Viewership for the first season was second only to the IPL, with 435 million people tuning in over the course of the 37-day event as per figures from TAM Media Research.
The World Kabaddi League, which started on August 9, saw the game travelling abroad. England hosted the first lot of matches before the league travelled through India. Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh, Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha are among the owners. United Singhs won the first ever season. The league is a personal venture of Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to promote the sport. Unconfirmed reports put the league’s viewership at around 70 million.
Indian Premier Tennis League and Champions Tennis League
(Bal Mukund via Twitter)
The Indian Premier Tennis League is the brainchild of current Indian tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi. It was founded in 2013 but the first season was played this year. It started in November and travelled to four countries – Singapore, Manila, United Arab Emirates and India. It is sponsored by Coca-Cola and Qatar Airways. Micomax, an Indian smartphone company, was the main sponsor of the Indian team. Top foreign players like Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Maria Sharapova and the Indian pairing of Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza drew the crowds in thousands. Star Sports were the broadcasting partner and played a heavy role in promoting it and making it watchable in more than 125 countries. Micromax Indian Aces won the first trophy when the season ended on December 13.
The Champions Tennis League was held over a week in New Delhi during November. This one was conceived by tennis legend Vijay Amritraj. It was described as an exhibition tournament but according to the organisers, it drew a sell-out crowd. The stars included Venus Williams, Marcos Baghdatis and Martina Hingis.
Hockey India League
(Black Sticks via Twitter)
This league began in 2012 and has slowly been gaining momentum. There are currently six franchises taking part. It is especially popular in the states of Jharkhand and Orissa.
Indian Badminton League
(updateurgk.blogspot.com)
This franchise league is managed by the Badminton Association of India. It is the richest badminton league in the world. The first season in 2013 was met with a lot of fanfare but due to the gruelling schedule that included the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, the 2014 edition has been pushed back to April 2015. Saina Nehwal, Parupalli Kashyap and Lee Chong Wei are the big names participating in the league.
Other leagues
(http://orientpublication.wordpress.com/)
That isn't all. India is also home to the Elite Football League of India (American football), Golf Premier League, the Indian Wrestling League, the Indian Volley League, Indian Racing League (motor sports) and the Indian Athletics League. However, these leagues have either faced problems from sports bodies, financial challenges, or lack of sponsors or buyers for the teams.
We welcome your comments at
letters@scroll.in.
But six years later, several other sports have borrowed lessons from the cricket extravaganza to launch their own leagues. As a result, fans now have the opportunity to follow the Indian Badminton League, the Indian Super League (football), two tennis leagues and even two kabaddi leagues.
Here's now they have fared.
Indian Super League
(Northeast United FC via Twitter)
On December 20, the inaugural season of the ISL for football came to an end. Hero MotoCorp signed a three-year agreement to become the title sponsors of the league. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, John Abraham, Sourav Ganguly have bought into various teams. The season featured big-names like Alessandro Del Piero, Robert Pires, David James (admittedly a little past their prime) and a host of promising Indian talent. Already, the ISL is the fourth-most attended professional football league on average in the world.
Pro Kabaddi League and the World Kabaddi League
(Balram via Twitter)
This year saw the birth of not one but two kabaddi leagues. The Pro Kabaddi League, an initiative of Mashal Sports and TV partners Star Sports, saw Abhishek Bachchan’s Jaipur Pink Panthers winning the first season, which concluded on August 31. Future Group, Unilazer Sports and Rajesh Shah are some of the other team owners.
The league was heavily promoted by Star Sports and it paid off. Viewership for the first season was second only to the IPL, with 435 million people tuning in over the course of the 37-day event as per figures from TAM Media Research.
The World Kabaddi League, which started on August 9, saw the game travelling abroad. England hosted the first lot of matches before the league travelled through India. Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh, Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha are among the owners. United Singhs won the first ever season. The league is a personal venture of Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to promote the sport. Unconfirmed reports put the league’s viewership at around 70 million.
Indian Premier Tennis League and Champions Tennis League
(Bal Mukund via Twitter)
The Indian Premier Tennis League is the brainchild of current Indian tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi. It was founded in 2013 but the first season was played this year. It started in November and travelled to four countries – Singapore, Manila, United Arab Emirates and India. It is sponsored by Coca-Cola and Qatar Airways. Micomax, an Indian smartphone company, was the main sponsor of the Indian team. Top foreign players like Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Maria Sharapova and the Indian pairing of Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza drew the crowds in thousands. Star Sports were the broadcasting partner and played a heavy role in promoting it and making it watchable in more than 125 countries. Micromax Indian Aces won the first trophy when the season ended on December 13.
The Champions Tennis League was held over a week in New Delhi during November. This one was conceived by tennis legend Vijay Amritraj. It was described as an exhibition tournament but according to the organisers, it drew a sell-out crowd. The stars included Venus Williams, Marcos Baghdatis and Martina Hingis.
Hockey India League
(Black Sticks via Twitter)
This league began in 2012 and has slowly been gaining momentum. There are currently six franchises taking part. It is especially popular in the states of Jharkhand and Orissa.
Indian Badminton League
(updateurgk.blogspot.com)
This franchise league is managed by the Badminton Association of India. It is the richest badminton league in the world. The first season in 2013 was met with a lot of fanfare but due to the gruelling schedule that included the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, the 2014 edition has been pushed back to April 2015. Saina Nehwal, Parupalli Kashyap and Lee Chong Wei are the big names participating in the league.
Other leagues
(http://orientpublication.wordpress.com/)
That isn't all. India is also home to the Elite Football League of India (American football), Golf Premier League, the Indian Wrestling League, the Indian Volley League, Indian Racing League (motor sports) and the Indian Athletics League. However, these leagues have either faced problems from sports bodies, financial challenges, or lack of sponsors or buyers for the teams.