IPL has certainly challenged cricket and made it democratic, opines Ian Bishop

Since IPL’s inception in 2008, the tournament has become the shelter for many young talents, harnessing them into a seasoned player, both physically and financially. Before the two-month-long tournament made its debut, cricketers were just restricted to playing in the local leagues and in international fixtures, which did not offer many opportunities to players from smaller countries or even from the domestic circuit, for that matter.

Citing the example of Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane, who has become a regular member of the Delhi setup in the IPL, Ian Bishop opined that IPL has certainly challenged cricket and democratized the sport for many countries. 

"Look, the IPL certainly has democratised cricket for many countries who may not necessarily have had their players playing against the top cricketers. Sandeep Lamichhane (spinner from Nepal) is one example, the IPL has certainly challenged the game," Bishop told Mbangwa during a chat, reported TOI.  

During the initial years of the new limited-overs format, several cricketing boards struggled to evaluate and foresee the value of the 20-over format. Bishop stated that his home country, West Indies, too, did not know the value of the format, which resulted in the country losing significant players for a period of time. 

"In the West Indies, initially the administrators did not know the value of T20 cricket and as a result, it had a bad effect. We lost a few significant few players from West Indies for a period of time, and only now we see countries allowing its players to play the IPL," Bishop said.

Post the 2016 T20 World Cup, however, West Indies have managed to capture the essence of T20 cricket, with their own rendition of the IPL in the form of Caribbean Premier League. Since the tournament’s initial years, players have become more financially secure compared to their yesteryear stars. 

"We have missed so many important players and I think it has set back West Indies cricket a little bit, but I never will be envious of what a player is able to earn now to secure his financial future. I am happy to see these young guys have such security for their families," he added.