IPL has emerged as the global sport brand from India!

whichever way you look at it the ipl has been a fantastic success. it has had its detractors, not everyone was convinced about the move to south africa and some countries are still in denial over the t20 format. they are entitled to their view, that's perfectly acceptable, but the evidence after this year's ipl is that more people are in the aye camp, less in the nay.

south africa has been magnificent. the decision to keep ticket prices low was a very good one. as i have always maintained it was the crowds that made ipl1 and this year they have not let us down either. it helps that watching cricket in south africa is easy, things happen as they are meant to, hardly ever has there been chaos and almost everybody has been happy.

but most important, the move has been a blessing in disguise. the ipl has taken first steps towards becoming a global brand. when we were kids, we thought of wimbledon, the ashes, the all england...and in course of time the nba, the epl, augusta masters. it had been a dream that a big global sports brand should come out of india and even though this is a work in progress (this is only year 2), it is what the cricket world is talking about. indian initiative, indian finance, indian ownership, for my generation this is huge.

and the competition itself has been good. in more demanding conditions the better players have come out on top, leadership has emerged as a quality factor in a team's chances and we have had unforgettable performances. it's been good so far.

and there can be few better sights than being high up in the wanderers looking down at the kumbles and gilchrists warming up for the final.