New Delhi, March 21 : Turning 18 means one gets into the swirling world of adulthood, acquiring independence in decision-making, and assuming new responsibilities related to living life. At this stage, the parents go into their emotional mode of 'how time flies ' it feels as if yesterday the kid arrived on earth and is now an adult in the blink of an eye'.

Well, the same can be said about the Indian Premier League (IPL), whose arrival in 2008 set the stage for cricket's landscape to transform on its head and is now about to enter a mature phase of its existence when the 2025 season starts with the Kolkata Knight Riders-Royal Challengers Bengaluru clash at the Eden Gardens, though the washout threat looms large in the opener.

As has always been the case, there's plenty of things to look forward to: a second new ball in evening matches chases, the saliva ban lifted and allowing bowlers to shine the ball, DRS being used for high and off-side wides and the impact player rule, always dividing the cricketing house, still intact.

But a closer look at the IPL and how it has managed to thrive makes for an interesting study - by successfully merging sports, entertainment, and business, each element has managed to retain its distinct identity. All three elements have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship, with neither affecting each other's existence so far and has spilled over to other sports in India too, as well as in cricket within and outside the country.

'Since its inception in 2008, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has revolutionised cricket in India and globally, blending sports and entertainment to create a recognised brand. Its franchise-based model has attracted significant investments, leading to substantial economic growth within the sports industry.

'The league's success has inspired the creation of similar T20 tournaments worldwide, enhancing the sport's global appeal. It's also not too far-fetched to say that other sports in India such as kabaddi and football have benefitted from the IPL playbook,' says Siddharth Raman - CEO, Sportz Interactive, to IANS on Friday.

The IPL stability is awe-inspiring, as it survives seasonal cycles, changes in government, economic crises and even pandemics. Initially, the IPL was anything but a summer pastime for many, but now it has become an inseparable part of Indian culture.

For example, new academic session in schools and exam time chatter in universities, as well as afternoon timepass talks in colonies are centered around which team would win the IPL, whose team composition is strong or light and tracing the backstory of a player who was a nobody, but has become a renowned face due to the tournament.

Such is the pull of the IPL that big-budget movies don't dare to release theatrically or on OTT platforms when IPL is on, while TV producers have a curious eye on the dwindling TRPs as the ten-team tournament becomes the de-facto prime time daily soap for three months.

'The IPL's prime-time matches have drawn massive audiences, often surpassing traditional television shows and impacting movie theatre attendance during the season. The league's popularity has prompted broadcasters and streaming platforms to innovate, offering interactive and immersive viewing experiences to retain and grow their audience base,' adds Raman.

He also adds that IPL's brand value was at two billion dollars in 2009 and has now jumped to 12 billion dollars in 2024. Four teams - Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders - have individual brand valuations of 100 million dollars.

The league's media rights, now firmly with JioStar in TV and digital, have also escalated, with deals contributing to a business enterprise value of 15.4 billion dollars, up 80% from 2022. Speaking about numbers, the changes in captains and support staff across ten IPL teams have been eye-catchy.

Seven teams will be starting off with new captains ' Riyan Parag is a stop-gap arrangement for the first three games of Rajasthan Royals, till Sanju Samson passes the keeping test. Suryakumar is just leading Mumbai Indians for the opening game, as Hardik Pandya serves a one-game ban citing a slow over rate.

Rajat Patidar and Axar Patel are the newbie leaders for RCB and Delhi Capitals respectively, while IPL 2024 winning skipper Shreyas Iyer is leading Punjab Kings and Ajinkya Rahane is at the helm of defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders. Rishabh Pant, IPL's most expensive player at Rs 27 crore, is captaining Lucknow Super Giants, who have been shaken up by injury cloud in fast-bowling department.

The 2025 IPL could be the springboard for Pant, Iyer, Shubman Gill, and KL Rahul to reclaim their spots on the national T20I team after varied periods of absence. There's also the matter of India, the defending champions, and Sri Lanka set to jointly host the T20 World Cup early next year.

The mega tournament is still about a year away, and a lot could happen before then. Despite everything, the IPL continues to be vital for those aiming to be back into the India T20I team, and a strong showing in the tournament will provide a massive boost to rest their cases for a recall in front of the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee.

Pant, Iyer, and Gill will be aiming to showcase their leadership skills in IPL 2025 and strengthen their case for themselves to take up a leadership role for the Indian team if the chance comes in future. Rahul - unburdened by captaincy responsibilities while turning out for the Delhi Capitals ' will aim to impress selectors with his batting prowess in the T20 format.

Adding to the intrigue of this subplot is the fact that they might compete for the same limited top-order spots. In the last T20I series that India won 4-1 over England earlier this year, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma opened the innings, with Tilak Varma at number three.

While the middle order competition is a bit crowded, it is yet to be established if Samson and Abhishek are India's best choices as openers, especially with someone like Yashasvi Jaiswal also in the waiting list.

In the bowling list, someone like Mohammed Siraj will be roaring to hit the high notes after his stocks fell across formats, while young turks Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana will be aiming to maintain their rise in the cricketing world.

The coaches have also changed ' Ricky Ponting is at Punjab Kings, Hemang Badani has taken charge at Delhi Capitals, Rahul Dravid, despite a leg injury, is coaching Rajasthan Royals. Kevin Pietersen and Dwayne Bravo are mentors of DC and KKR. DC have a total coaching revamp, while others have changes in varying degrees.

Three months of IPL action also acts as big economic support to affiliate industries like tourism, wellness, hospitality, merchandising, ticketing, fantasy gaming, influencer economy, social media specialists and cricket-related technology. Former men's and occasionally women's players enjoy a wealth of options of being associated with the IPL, with coaching, and commentary being the most preferred.

'A major economic force, the IPL generated over 1.2 million direct and indirect jobs across India in 2024. Roles were created in stadium operations, security, and logistics, while merchandising, marketing, and event management contributed to the job scene as well. The hospitality and tourism industries reportedly saw a 35% surge in hiring, adding new jobs across hotels, restaurants, transport, and tour operators.

'Small businesses and startups leveraged the IPL's massive reach, many new jobs, while the demand for digital fan experiences led to new hires in tech, including developers, designers, and data analysts. From fantasy gaming to streaming innovations, we have seen the IPL fuelling sustained job growth across multiple sectors,' stated Raman.

In the start, IPL's staunchest critics would tear into the league's razzamatazz for being the main reason behind all small or big issues in the cricketing world or giving more exposure to overseas players, who go on to humble India on their home soil in bilateral series. Apart from exchange of tactics and strategies, IPL has truly established itself as the most influential league in the cricketing world.

Eighteen years of existence on planet earth isn't much time as a whole lifetime of possibilities and the best years of a human being's life are yet to come. Same is the case when IPL 2025 starts on Saturday - turning 18 is a big milestone in its existence, but it has been through its twists and turns which many adults wouldn't have experienced.

Come Saturday, and even if one would feel IPL was just born yesterday, it will still feel like the tournament in its 18th season has a lot more enriching learnings to dish out to players, coaches, commentators and everyone connected to it in small or big ways.

/IANS