IPL will be 'world's biggest domestic sport event'

LONDON – Former England cricket captain Andrew Strauss forecast on Wednesday that the Indian Premier League would eclipse the United States’ National Football League to become “the biggest domestic sporting event in the world” as he praised it for sparking one of the sport’s “great steps forward”.

He also said the recent creation of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) would accelerate the growth of the female game in spectacular fashion.

A highly lucrative franchise T20 event, backed by wealthy business figures and entertainment stars, the IPL has also led to the creation of similar competitions, such as Australia’s Big Bash and the Caribbean Premier League.

In the process, players on the global T20 circuit earn a good living without having to represent their countries.

This has led to fears about the future of international cricket, in particular five-day Tests.

But Strauss said issues of “overkill” had existed before the advent of the IPL in 2008 and were still evident at international and county levels.