WHEN cricket fans switch on Channel 10 at 12.15am to tune into the launch of the Indian Premier League, they no doubt will keep a keen eye on the big hits.

And how one-time enemies turned teammates share the same dressingroom.

Tonight's feature match is between Ricky Ponting's Kolkata Knight Riders, owned by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, and the Bangalore Royal Challengers, featuring Jacques Kallis and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

But the IPL is about more than the players. Far more.

It is about power, money and showcasing who really rules world cricket -- the mighty Board of Control for Cricket in India.

It's about the Twenty20 revolution, where the game is heading, and ensuring it remains relevant.

It's about nations such as Australia desperately scrambling for a piece of the international Twenty20 pie -- a piece it may never taste.

Particularly if the almost-forgotten "Champions League", where the best two domestic Twenty20 teams from Australia, England, India and South Africa clash, doesn't get off the ground.

And Australia and England have only themselves to blame.

England originally devised Twenty20, which proved a smash hit on its county scene.

But, once again, it failed to take that extra step. So frustrated are the Brits now that they are considering an allegiance with Antigua-based billionaire Allen Stanford.

The International Cricket Council may technically rule the sport, but anyone who knows the game knows that's not really the case.

One nation holds sway and influences what happens around the boardroom.

Cricket is now played for money and India -- and the IPL -- has it.

Here are two quick examples of this power.

While most Australian players last summer felt let down by Cricket Australia during the Harbhajan Singh-Andrew Symonds spat, and believed CA was kowtowing to the BCCI, not once did an Australian player suggest he would boycott the IPL.

At board level, officials around the world have been quick to ban players from international cricket if they join the rebel Indian Cricket League, only because they fear the BCCI will cut off their international purse strings.

This list goes on and on.

Despite this, the IPL has reshaped the game. The franchise system, and player draft, have been organised in a remarkably smooth manner by the BCCI.

In addition to the hefty payrolls, the IPL has a prize pool of more than $5 million, with the winner taking $2 million.

By comparison, Australia collected just more than $1 million for retaining the World Cup last year.

Admittedly, there are fears dodgy bookies will have a field day in the 44-day tournament, even though the ICC's anti-corruption unit is expected to be on hand.

And, like Kerry Packer's revolution, there's no responsibility for the IPL to nurture young talent.

The assumptions are the IPL will be a raging success.

Others ask whether this play for power and money is good for the game. The jury is out.

Share this article What is this?