26 May,2009 08:00 AM IST | | Sanjjeev K Samyal
That the Indian Premier League has made a stunning impact on South Africa will be an understatement.
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Not only have the South Africans been bowled over by the entertainment delivered by the cricket extravaganza, they also reckon the IPL has lifted their economy.
For SA's biggest bat manufacturing company Bellingham & Smith, at Thornhill, in Eastern Cape, it was a heaven-sent opportunity. "These are difficult times, there's an economic meltdown, but quite honestly we have had our best year.
"Everyone said, you can't sell chickens, you can't sell eggs, the farmers here can't sell their products, but we were still selling cricket bats.
Why? Because of the IPL. It's been fantastic for cricket. Please tell the organisers that a bat manufacturer in South Africa has said: 'Thank you very much, you are welcome to visit us anytime'," Mick Bellingham, the company's managing director told MiD DAY.
"It (IPL) has made cricket big around the year. Our season ends in April.
Only last week we have slowed down a bit, otherwise we have been selling bats for 11 months this year. Earlier, we used to sell only for four-five months," said Bellingham.
Glamour quotient
"The IPL has glamourised cricket. It was an old man's game white trousers and shirts, white hats. We had designed some new white gloves for the new season, we thought it would be fine.
"But then, the IPL came here and we thought, this won't do and we designed jazzed up pads and gloves and all sorts of lovely colours on it," Bellingham added.
"It is the influence of the IPL. It has revolutionised cricket in many ways.
We did not have one third of the attendance for our provincial games and here for an Indian tournament with players who the local people don't know about, the grounds are full.
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Why? Because the concept has been brilliant," said Bellingham. "I liked the advert, 'come to have a party'. It's a live party."
