The second season of the Indian Premier League came to a grand end on Sunday 24th May 2009 with the Deccan Chargers emerging as the champions. The Chargers, who finished in the bottom half last season, rebounded this time with a stunning performance and waged a final battle against another underdog team, The Bangalore Royal Challengers, to win the coveted title for this season.
The final match took place in the capital city, Johanessburg, of the hosting nation, South Africa.

The Delhi Dare Devils and Chennai Super Kings held their respective grounds till the semis while last year’s champions, Rajasthan Royals didn’t even make it to that stage!

Apart from the adrenaline packed exhibition of new-age cricketing, the tournament is a testament to the financial acumen of the BCCI. The IPL is a money making juggernaut that just doesn’t quit. Even with a shift in the venue from India to South Africa due to the lack of security provisions in light of the General Elections, the money from the sponsors just kept pouring in! One can easily gauge the significance of this sporting spectacle from the fact that a major telecommunications service provider scheduled the unveiling of their new mascot to coincide with it!

The six week long cricketing extravaganza has been a grand success in terms of revenue generation and viewership. With everyone including the BCCI, the team owners, the sponsors and the broadcasting partners laughing all the way to the bank, the IPL success story is sure to feature in Management Case Studies sooner or later!