One of the more pleasant byproducts from the age of British colonialism is the enthusiasm spread all over the world of England’s very own game of cricket. The Australians have been England’s hotly contested rivals for nearly a hundred and fifty years and provides cricket fans with more than enough excitement year after year. But one of the greatest success stories for cricket is how well it has been embraced by India.

Long fans of the game, with numerous fans and athletes playing wherever they could, India has taken this astounding popularity for the sport and created their own Indian Premier League in 2008. Currently consisting of eight teams with two more slated to join their ranks in 2011, the Indian Premier League teams are challenging the world for cricket domination.

While the league began with many foreign players in their ranks, native Indians are rapidly filling the ranks. Being supported and sponsored by Bollywood stars and major business tycoons, the Indian Premier League has managed to become in such a short time, their players have become the second most highly paid players in the world being surpassed only by the American NFL. With such celebrity support behind them, it is no wonder cricket’s popularity in India rivals if not surpasses English cricket enthusiasm.

The Indian Premier League has a current brand value of over $4 billion dollars. They have used innovative ways to increase interest in the League. One such way was to be the first sporting event to be shown live on the Internet video-sharing site, YouTube.