Success in South Africa took IPL to another level: Shastri

Ravi Shastri. Pic/Satej Shinde

The IPL has always had quality, but what took it to another level was the successful hosting of the league in South Africa in 2009, and the interest it generated in a foreign country, feels former India coach Ravi Shastri.

The second edition of the Indian Premier League had been moved to South Africa as its dates clashed with the general elections in the country. The IPL was started on this day 15 years ago.

Shastri, who was part of the league's governing council then, reminisced about the tournament's early days.

"If you look at the all the players who played a part in this, the quality of cricket was so good that it took off. But the final stamp on the IPL came when we went to South Africa. To go there and to see that South Africa saw the IPL with the same interest as India, that shocked the world," Shastri said during an interaction with Star Sports.

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He added, "Because by that time, people around the world had started picking teams. What you see in football now, that had happened in the IPL from the second season itself.

"The EPL has been going on for years, teams like Arsenal and Manchester United, but here in two years fans in IPL had their teams - Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings or Royal Challengers Bangalore."

Former New Zealand swashbuckler Brendon McCullum got the IPL off to a blazing start with his 73-ball 158 for Kolkata Knight Riders against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2008.

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