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Indian Premier League (IPL) has scripted a new golden chapter in the history of Indian cricket. India's premier T20 domestic tournament, which started in 2008, has emerged as a force to reckon with and many recognise it as among the most lucrative sporting leagues in the world.
Apart from producing numerous young talents over the years, IPL has also generated a massive craze among cricket fans in the country.
While IPL got bigger with the introduction of two new franchises in the 15th season of the league, its fan following and market value too leapfrogged comparatively than its previous editions.
After the distribution of this year's media rights, India's domestic tournament was touted as the second most valuable league in the world, only behind USA's National Football League (NFL). IPL's growth over the years has inspired many countries to introduce their own T20 leagues with the sole objective to cash in on the cricket frenzy market.
Meanwhile, Ramez Sheikh, the managing director of NBA Asia and India has admitted the fact that he is being inspired by the tremendous respect for the Indian Premier League that started in 2008.
"IPL has done a tremendous job to evolve and create a product that continue to be relevant and interesting in thought. All sports, even the NBA in the United States, were very popular but you need to continue to think about how to maintain the relevance and interest in their fans,” Sheikh said on Saturday.
He further claimed that he has enormous respect for cricket and for the IPL.
"We all are learning, that's one of the fun things about my job, being in markets where the NBA is new and fresh, and we have a lot to do to create fans and an entertainment experience. So, we are learning a lot," added Sheikh.
The NBA is currently hosting two international pre-season games with the Atlanta Hawks facing Milwaukee Bucks at the Etihad Arena. Atlanta won the first game on Thursday with the second one scheduled for Saturday evening.
"We would love to come back to India, but we don’t have a specific time frame. We had an amazing experience in 2019. Our plans for India are really focused. It is an important market for us,” Sheikh concluded.