Brisbane: India and Indians apart, the IPL has always been viewed with little interest in founder cricket nations like Australia. Some of that apathy can be sheeted back to cultural prejudice - it will be some time yet before the average Australian comes to appreciate the IPL in the same way that the cricketers do - if you’re not directly earning obscene amounts of money, why take an interest in some foreign league? That there is an element of prejudice is evident by the fact that the English Premier League and the American leagues (baseball, basketball and NFL) are closely followed despite there being far fewer Australians involved.

But imitation is often the sincerest form of flattery so the rise and rise of the Big Bash in Australia goes some way to prove that there is much to admire in the pioneering trailblazing path forged by the IPL. Even the American influence pervades cricket to the point where the naming of franchises assumes ridiculous proportions with very little local cultural significance. I mean, does it get any more OTT than the super superlative-laden Supergiants? It’s not enough to be a giant unless it’s a Supergiant? Oh, I forget, the Superkings trump them! And the Mumbai Indians? How positively unimaginative for a team comprising some notable non-Indians? Like I said, ridiculous but at least the IPL were market leaders in that segment.