Smells like teen spirit: What will it take for the IPL to finally grow up?

Evaluating the league’s growth, identity, and readiness for the next chapter

When someone turns 18, it’s considered a milestone more important than many other stages of life. Many get a chance to have their first drink at this age, while others leave their parent’s home for the first time to enroll in college or start a full-time job. It’s an age that symbolizes maturity, and is often the start of a period that defines their future. BCCI’s teenager, the Indian Premier League, is in its 18th year this year and to understand where the league stands today, we have to look at where it started.

The Journey

It’s well documented that BCCI was reluctant to start a franchise league, until Zee Group’s Subash Chandra started the Indian Cricket League (ICL). From Kapil Dev to the likes of Brian Lara and Inzamam Ul-Haq, the ICL signed some incredible names and forced BCCI’s hand in starting their own league and declared the ICL as a rebel-league. Eventually, players and coaches who had been involved in the ICL were offered amnesty and allowed to participate in the IPL and other domestic tournaments.

Despite losing the early mover advantage, the creator Lalit Modi, used his networks across cricket administrations and Bollywood circles, to make the 1st IPL a grand success. They certainly had a lady luck by their side, as India won the inaugural T20 World Cup the previous year and the tournament had a number of nail-biting finishes and breath-taking performances, right from Brendon McCullum’s 158 in the 1st match, to Shane Warne’s underrated team beating CSK in the final off the very last ball.

The BCCI suddenly discovered that having top cricketers battling for their cities every night at 8PM was a winning formula. And while it wasn’t a linear growth with no bumps (Spot fixing, getting blames IPL for India’s poor performances, and moving certain seasons away from India), the large cricket fan base plus plenty of solid cricketing talents made IPL the behemoth that it is today. Not only has it become BCCI’s cash cow, it has fundamentally changed the dynamics of world cricket with top cricketers (from Kane Williamson to Heinrich Klassen) around the world turning down central contracts.

The Identity

But growth alone doesn’t define maturity—identity does. As the league expanded and franchises refined their operations, they began to build an identity for themselves and in turn for the league. T20 World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni was picked up by Chennai Super Kings in the inaugural IPL auction, and ever since, he has become inseparable from the franchise's identity. A similar story unfolded with Virat Kohli at Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he has remained the face of the team through thick and thin. Mumbai Indians' decision to bring in local talent Rohit Sharma paid off not just in titles, but in branding—their sustained success under his captaincy firmly linked his name to the franchise, even as his recent batting form has dipped.

In fact, these personalities have become so tied to the franchises, that Mumbai’s pragmatic decision of replacing an aging Rohit with Hardik Pandya as captain was received with severe backlash and home fans booing one of their own. CSK pushed for rule changes to ensure MS Dhoni post-retirement could be considered an uncapped player.

None of these are signs of a mature league. The top franchises across sports often tie themselves to a style of play, and not a couple of players. Whether it’s Barcelona’s Tiki-Taka style or the New York Knicks playing “bully ball” in the 1990s. These styles change over time as players age and management moves around, and of course, specific players will get more attention than others but the loyalties of the fan base are primarily aligned to the franchise and not any individual.

Some of this has started already. The Rajasthan Royals are known for buying young Indian stars are nurturing them. They’ve already done it with Ravindra Jadeja and Sanju Samson, and now the spotlight is on rising talents like Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Mumbai Indians, long praised for their elite scouting network, unearthed stars like Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah well before they became household names.

Yet, despite these forward-thinking moves, many franchises still lean heavily into fan sentiment—like Chennai Super Kings fielding a 43-year-old MS Dhoni, visibly struggling with a knee injury—rather than making bold, professional decisions with the future in mind. It’s a clear sign that while the league has evolved, it still has a long way to go in embracing a truly modern, merit-based approach.

The Future

The IPL’s growing tendency to introduce major rule changes at the last minute—like the “Impact Player” rule—undermines the integrity and spirit of the tournament. While innovation can enhance the game, these abrupt shifts leave teams scrambling to adjust strategies, deny players the chance to prepare adequately or change the roles they play (like Shivam Dube’s decline as a bowler), and often confuse fans who are still trying to grasp the nuances. Cricket, especially a spectacle like the IPL, thrives on clarity and fair competition. Any such changes must be discussed with teams and announced at least a month before the auction, ensuring transparency and giving all stakeholders enough time to adapt. An additional aspect to consider is how these rules change the dynamic of the game compared to international T20 circuit. After all, the eventual goal of the IPL is to prepare Indian talents for international cricket.

Another area where the IPL could evolve is its team-building structure. The current model of frequent mega auctions and constant squad overhauls every three years disrupts team continuity and prevents fans from forming long-term attachments to players and franchises. To foster stronger fan loyalty and build more compelling team narratives, the IPL should consider phasing out the mega auction format in favor of a more stable system combining player drafts and transfer windows. A system like this would mirror successful models in global sports leagues, encouraging strategic planning over impulsive bidding wars.

Finally, the media strategy still feels outdated in an era driven by digital content and creator-led platforms. To truly globalize the tournament and deepen fan engagement, the IPL must open up its media ecosystem—granting greater access to independent podcasters, bloggers, and digital creators. These voices shape how younger audiences consume the game, and by allowing responsible use of match footage, highlights, ball-tracking data, and behind-the-scenes content, the league can organically expand its reach across platforms. For instance, in Australia, the IPL already faces challenges due to time zone differences, yet influential voices like The Grade Cricketer podcast could help bridge that gap—if only they weren’t restricted by footage rights and censorship. Instead of gatekeeping content, the IPL should empower creators to be ambassadors of the game, helping the league thrive in corners of the world where traditional broadcasts fall short.

The Indian Premier League has already had a huge impact on world cricket, but how it handles itself over the next few years will go a long way in defining its future. The passion from fans is already there; now it’s time for the league’s leadership to match it with vision and long-term thinking—though expecting vision from the BCCI is like expecting punctual trains in Mumbai during monsoon: everyone hopes for it, but no one’s holding their breath.