"IPL Is A Big Reason For Why...": Ex-South Africa Captain Graeme Smith On T20 League's Impact

This article was originally published in NDTV.com

When the first T20I international was played in 2005 between Australia and New Zealand, no one would have thought that the format would become so big in about ten years' time and there would be the talk of the format being the most likely format to take cricket into Olympics. T20 cricket is also being looked at as the format to spread the game all over the world. Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith recently revisited India's first T20I against South Africa and he also spoke about how IPL has been a big reason behind helping T20 cricket reach high levels.

"I mean, Dinesh Karthik scoring runs and winning a game against us. Those aren't fond memories. It was the introduction of T20, for us, we had played a fair amount of international cricket. We were uncertain about how this format would go. In the beginning, we rested probably a lot of top players. It was a fun outing though. The energy, the crowd, the enjoyment that came with the game, straightaway you recognised that the fans just loved it," Smith said on Cricket.com's YouTube special 'Dressing Room Stories'.

"I think for all of us, trying to work on how to play, it was an opportunity to leather up and play without an element of pressure, score as quick as you can. Who would have thought in 2006 that T20 cricket would get to the level it has to right now? In my mind, you couldn't have predicted that it would take off as it did. The IPL is a big reason for why T20 cricket has got to the level it has," he added.

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Further talking about the format, Smith said: "It's just incredible. Yeah, it is one format which could transition into new cricket regions, lot's of talk about America and what's happening there."

The inaugural edition of the IPL was played in 2008 and till now, 15 editions of the tournament have been played. CSA will also start its inaugural T20 league in January next year for which Smith has been named the commissioner.

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