Delhi Daredevils, owned by GMR Industries, have a number of genuine match-winners in their squad. They boast of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir at the top of the order while wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik beefs up the middle-order. Tillakaratne Dilshan, along with AB de Villiers, has been a revelation in this format. Veteran Daniel Vettori adds depth to the squad. Daredevils made it to the semis in the first season.

In the second season, they rode high on the strength of Dirk Nannes’ pace, topped the league, but again, lost in the semis. Gambhir has now stepped in as captain after Sehwag decided to step down. Dehi have bought out Oz legend Glenn McGrath before the third season. They picked up Wayne Parnell, the South African left-arm pacer for a whopping USD 610,000 at the 2010 auction. They also included the U-19 player Manan Sharma in their ranks.

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Chennai Super Kings, owned by India Cements, managed to get the prized services of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the inaugural edition of IPL. Quite understandably, the Indian captain commanded the highest price at the player auctions – a whopping USD 1.5 million. Australia’s batting tour de force Matthew Hayden was roped in to give the batting a destructive edge – and he played his role to perfection in two successive seasons.

Stephen Fleming, who doubled as coach in the second season; the wily Muralidaran; batsman Suresh Raina; and all-rounder Albie Morkel helped Chennai reach the final. When the second round of auctions took place, Andrew Flintoff joined as one of the highest-paid players. In 2009, Hayden scored prolifically while his team entered the semi-final, only to be pipped at the post by RCB. Fleming has now been bought out by the side and is just the coach. At the 2010 auction, the team bought South African Justin Kemp, they also brought in Sri Lankan Thisara Perera for a sum of USD 50,000.

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Royal Challengers Bangalore, like Deccan Chargers, had ended up at the bottom of the table in the inaugural edition of IPL. Both teams ended up meeting in the final of IPL 2009 in South Africa. Anil Kumble-led RCB with great heart, but was unable to win the title. Kumble’s most impressive virtues as a cricketer – grit and determination – came to the fore in South Africa. The side lost four of their first five matches in IPL 2009, but made a startling comeback to make it to the semi-finals.

The team qualified for the CLT20 but could not qualify for the knock-out stage. The team has undergone a sea-change in terms of personnel and support staff from Season 2008 with new coach Ray Jennings making a huge impact. Former captain Kevin Pietersen’s participation is still debatable owing to an extended injury break. Their only buy at the 2010 auction was Englishman Eoin Morgan, but they also have in their ranks India’s under-19 captain Ashok Menaria while Nathan Bracken has been bought out.

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What are biggest brands in the sporting world? FIFA, the English Premier League (EPL), the National Football League (NFL) of the US, National Basketball Association and Formula 1. Well, add the Indian Premier League to this list. IPL is definitely one of the biggest brands in the sports world and is growing every year.

A new study, carried out by a UK-based brand valuation consultancy for The Economic Times, states that IPL’s brand value is a staggering $4.1 billion.

The study by Brand Finance reveals that as an enterprise, IPL’s overall brand value more than doubled to $ 4.1 billion, or Rs 18,998 crore, in 2010 from a year ago. The study puts the combined brand value of all franchises at $333 million or Rs 1,542 crore.

And with two more franchises joining the extravaganza in 2011, Brand IPL is set for another big commercial leap. The Brand Finance study treated IPL as a single commercial entity, aggregating the income that BCCI and the franchises will generate, and their expenditure. All cross-charged income and expenditures have been ignored to arrive at the total worth, which it terms as the IPL Branded System.

“IPL can be seen as a precursor to emerging global brands out of developing nations and will definitely enjoy a first-mover advantage,” the Brand Finance India MD, Unni Krishnan, told The Economic Times.

Responding to the news, an elated IPL Chairman and Commisioner, Lalit Modi, told The Economic Times, “This is just the beginning and there’s huge value to be unlocked still.”

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In late June 2007, two men met in an English house, not far from the rain-drenched Wimbledon Championships, to discuss a very different sporting event. Lalit Modi, Vice-President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) brainstormed with Andrew Wildblood of the International Management Group (IMG), the sports management giants. In April 2008, the maiden IPL tournament that Mr. Modi had conceived and developed, was underway.

February 2008 saw the frantic player auction that created a media frenzy. Among the bidders were some of India’s richest and most powerful names, from industrialists to film stars, adding to the event’s lustre. As the sums on offer began to emerge – $1.5m for Mahendra Singh Dhoni, $1.35m for Andrew Symonds, $950,000 for the inexperienced Ishant Sharma – cricket raised its eyebrows, held its breath and braced itself for a new era.

The opening ceremony was like nothing the sport had seen before and would not have been out of place as a curtain raiser for the Olympic Games. And much to everyone’s satisfaction, the cricket lived up to all expectations. The world witnessed the first ever Twenty20 competition played on a scale comparable to the biggest events in sporting history.

The public’s imagination was captured even before Warne’s Rajashtan Royals embarked on their competition-defining run. Helped by the presence at matches – and, invariably on the next morning’s front pages – of Bollywood stars such as Shah Rukh Khan, owner of the Kolkata franchise, and Preity Zinta, co-owner of the Kings XI Punjab, the early matches of the IPL attracted a huge television audience.

After the spectacular success of the inaugural tournament, news that the 2009 IPL would have to be played overseas was met with some resistance. But right from the magnificent opening ceremony to the closing festivities, viewers stayed hooked to the mega event that saw the Deccan Chargers led by Adam Gilchrist take top honours. In the words of Mr. Modi, “It’s been a success thanks to the people of South Africa.”

The Indian Premier League has moved from strength to strength in its two early editions. And the world has taken notice. The IPL has even made it to the fourth spot of the Forbes list of the world’s hottest sporting properties. The competition returns to India in March 2010 after its South African safari in 2009. The stage is set for a contest that is more compelling, spectacular and multi-faceted than ever before.

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