R Ashwin made a huge statement while sharing his thoughts on the IPL, which has grown enormously, with the competition becoming so "huge" that cricket occasionally takes a back seat.
Ashwin emphasized the difficulties players experienced in balancing training sessions with marketing shots during the two-month campaign.
He reminisced on the IPL's extraordinary progress since its debut in 2008, emphasizing the rigorous nature of the players' lives on the road during the competition.
"As a youngster coming into the IPL, I was only looking to learn from the big stars, I did not think about how the IPL would look 10 years down the line. I can say that having been in the IPL for so many seasons, the IPL is huge," he said on the Club Prairie Fire podcast.
"Sometimes I wonder if IPL is even cricket because sport takes a backstage (during IPL). It's so huge. We do end up practicing in advertisement shoots and sets! That's where the IPL has gotten to," said Ashwin, who plays for Rajasthan Royals.
In 2022, the IPL media rights were signed for a record Rs 48,390 crore over five years, cementing its place as the second most valuable league in the sports world in terms of per-match value, trailing only the NFL. This astronomical figure eclipsed well-known leagues including the English Premier League, NBA, and Major League Baseball.
Ashwin spoke about his early days in the IPL and how the event exceeded all expectations.
"No one envisaged the kind of growth that the IPL has had. I still remember a conversation I had with Scott Styris when we were both at CSK. He told me that when he was playing for the Deccan Chargers in the initial seasons of IPL, he did not think the IPL would last for more than two to three years. Initially, there was a big influx of money,” Ashwin said.
The IPL's profile has been further elevated by the astronomical deals secured by players during auctions.
"Look, over the years you'd think that the IPL is one tournament that is largely won at the auctions. I believe the auctions are a very important facet of this league, but the beauty of the IPL is that franchises have evolved into getting their teams right. There's no one way to skin a cat. No one player is bigger than the team. No one slot is bigger than others. The teams invest wisely,” Ashwin said.
(PTI inputs)
