Since last three four years, Twenty 20 or T20 Cricket has been gaining immense popularity among the masses. Slowly the action is shifting from Test matches and One day international matches to T20 cricket. Though traditionalists say that it s not Cricket but you have to accept the fact that this medium has left tests and ODI s in the shadow. The success of the Indian Premier League or the IPL stands witness to this fact.
These days, brands are increasingly shifting their advertising budget from tests and ODIs to T20 matches. They are spending more on T20 because more people watch these matches. Earlier women and young girls used to avoid watching Cricket. But T20 has added glamor to the game. It s short – just three hours for a game. There are cheerleaders prancing around. And plenty of fours and sixes being hit due to the field restrictions and shorter boundaries. The stadiums have a lively atmosphere due to the music and songs being played between overs. There are entertainment shows played in the break between the two innings. The IPL was ranked one of the richest sporting leagues in the world with a value of more than $1 billion dollars. Such success in just two years is unprecedented.
The T20 world cup is held every two years. This cup has been a bigger success than the recent ODI world cup. Cricketers are increasingly adapting to the T20 style of cricket. There are some specialist players who have retired from other forms of the game just to play T20. This is because they earn much more money in less than half the time. Previously each country used to play 8 10 test matches every year. These days, future schedules have just 2 5 test matches for some teams. There are talks of dividing the ODI into two innings to give it a T20 feel.
The game of cricket always had two official versions, the five day test match and the one day 50 overs match. Since last 2 3 years, the hottest form of cricket is T20 or Twenty twenty or 20 20 cricket. This is a 20 over game per side. It takes around 3 3.5 hours to complete a single game. This shortening of the time period has helped to increase the popularity of the game. Now, people don t have to watch the game for an entire day or more. It is more like a game of football/soccer where the game starts in the evening and ends in 3 hours.
T20 cricket has also brought in a new generation of cricketers, namely T20 experts. Cricketers proficient in power hitting from ball one have become extremely important. The inaugural world t20 cup held in South Africa in 2007 was a very successful sporting event. Since then, the popularity of this version has skyrocketed. The highly successful Indian premier league was started by the BCCI in 2008. This is an annual event. The 2008 version brought over a billion dollars in revenues to everyone involved.
The popularity of the other forms of the game are waning. People like to enjoy the shortened games because of the glamor and fun involved. There are cheerleaders for every team who cheer every wicket, four or six. Popular songs are blasted on the stadium speakers. The shorter boundaries help more aerial shots and hence the fun. Even girls are watching this version of cricket which wasn t the case earlier. Popular celebrities are called in to give their views on TV and this has helped increase the mass appeal of the game. It is not just technique, but more of slam bang. More new younger players are getting the chance to play for big teams. Thus twenty 20 cricket has proved to be very successful both in terms of money and public support. It is here to stay.
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