Page 29 - IPL 2

But this book is not about the conceptualization of the IPL, neither is it singing paeans about its success,
for enough has been said, written, sung and performed. This book aims to look at the miracle world sport

saw in 2009. When a giant sporting organization came up against the government of their own country,
the safety of its own people. A controversy that put the entire country’s media in a tailspin, sent the IPL

core team back to the drawing board and led Lalit Modi to the simple realization “We appreciated the
government’s concerns, and safety comes first, but we had promised the Indian public a tournament,

and that’s what we had to give them. That was that’ And with that simple thought, the plan was set in
motion. The impossible took its first step towards possible.

The Indian Premier League, all of one season old, would move out of its home country. There was

disbelief, there were giggles, and there was just plain shock. There were sniggers at the sheer gumption
of this man and his motley crew: Move a tournament of this scale and size to another country! It was
similar to moving something the size of the Olympics in just 3 weeks. It was a bold decision, but one

that had to be made. And then executed. No one gave them a chance, but he had on his side those who

mattered - the franchise owners, IMG, his team and, above all, his sheer conviction. And off they went.
Across hemispheres, into unchartered territory.

Through this book we will attempt to show you what went behind pulling off this logistical miracle.
Some faces you would recognize, and some that you won’t. But sweat they all did, kept up nights, worked

tirelessly to pull off the impossible. Not because they thought it was their job. For miracles require more
than punching in and out. They require passion and a certain madness from the people involved. This

wasn’t their job; it was their responsibility, to the fans, to India, to the cricket-loving world. They owed
it to the boy in the middle of the field, to you, to me. They owed it to that young man in 1994. And to

everyone in between. It was non-negotiable. The show had to go on. They had to give India her favorite
form of entertainment. The DLF IPL.

20 HERE WE GO AGAIN... HERE WE GO AGAIN... 21