Former England captain Andrew Strauss said that the Indian Premier League has the ability to eclipse American football’s NFL and become the biggest domestic sporting event in the world by the year 2040. He again added that the recent establishment of a women’s IPL would “significantly accelerate” the growth of the female match as well.

“As the Indian economy grows, it is expected that by the time it reaches parity with the size of the USA in 2040, the value of the IPL is likely to be six times what it is today – this is going to be the biggest domestic sporting tournament in the world, bar none,” Andrew Strauss said.

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“If you allow yourself to keep bound up in the thesis that the purpose of the game is to bring diverse people together, whether playing or watching and to allow cricket to educate and connect, then surely the rise of franchise cricket is one of the great steps forward. More players are playing in different parts of the world, experiencing new places and meeting new people, more and more people around the globe are engaged with the great game that we all love so much,” Andrew Strauss further added.

“The first IPL franchises have just been sold for an earth-shattering sum of £465 million ($572.5 million). Women’s cricket is truly standing on its own two feet and is likely to be in the top three sports for earning potential for any young girl with talent and an ambition to play sport professionally,” Andrew Strauss concluded.