India, March 18 -- On September 13, 2007, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made a groundbreaking announcement that would forever alter the global cricket landscape: the launch of the Indian Premier League (IPL). At the time, T20 cricket was still nascent in India, with the men's national team having played just one match in the format. The decision to introduce a large-scale franchise-league model seemed like a bold and risky venture for the BCCI. Yet, Lalit Modi, the board's vice-president and the league's inaugural chairman, possessed a vision and committed determination to transform it into something extraordinary - though even he could scarcely have foreseen the colossal phenomenon it would become.

The IPL's meteoric ...