Cricket is one of the world’s most popular sports and has many high-profile events that attract fans. From The Ashes to the Big Bash League and the IPL, there are many exciting series or leagues for supporters to enjoy. Perhaps the one that gets everyone most excited though is the ICC Cricket World Cup. Full of action, drama, runs, and wickets, it really gets every cricket supporter going.
Of course, we have only just completed the most recent one which England won in a thrilling finale. It was not just this final game that caught the attention of people around the world though. It is estimated that 2.6 billion people in total watched the 2019 World Cup which is a viewing record for the game. With this surge in popularity, what could this mean for Indian cricket, in particular, going forward?
New interest from different countries
We all know that India is cricket-mad as are other countries who traditionally play or follow the sport, like England and Australia. With more people from other countries around the globe getting into cricket through the World Cup, it could see domestic cricket in India benefit. The most obvious beneficiary could be the IPL which may draw in new viewers from new countries as a result. This would see more revenue generated and cricket in India becoming more popular across the globe. If you are just getting into cricket yourself and need a head start, check out this guide to cricket at Sportsbet.io.
A stream of new talent
Another change that may be seen by the popularity of the 2019 World Cup could be the additional number of young people in India attracted to the game. India did pretty well in the end and their semi-final run caught the attention of everyone, even if they did not follow cricket before. This could be enough to bring more youngsters to the game who could go on to be the cricket superstars of tomorrow for India. In the long term, this could see Indian cricket not only maintain its current standing but also get even better.
May attract more resources from the Government
The high level of interest in cricket as seen at the last World Cup may also have caught the attention of politicians. If they believe cricket is now a viable way of promoting India and attracting investment then the Government of India could divert resources into the game to help. This new wave of money could help to make domestic Indian cricket even stronger and give teams more resources to improve facilities or sign top players from overseas. It could also help the national team to improve by bringing in the latest training facilities and support.
Cricket is getting more popular than ever
Cricket has always been a popular sport both in India and worldwide. What the last World Cup shows though is that the interest in it is actually growing and coming from countries who traditionally did not pay attention to it. As the above shows, this extra attention could be very good for Indian cricket itself in both a domestic and national sense.
