Vice-president of the BCCI, Lalit Modi, said: "The Indian Premier League (IPL) set new benchmarks. Before the IPL, there was apprehension that people might not want to watch foreigners playing. However what we have seen is that fans love quality cricket. We have also received a lot of interest from different parties regarding the telecast rights and we hope that they put their money where their mouth is. People have seen the kind of deliveries that the IPL has managed. We expanded the fan base."
The ten-day inaugural tournament will be played from September 29 to October 8, 2008. The tournament is scheduled to begin only one day after the end of the 50-over Champions Trophy and will feature teams from the top eight cricket countries. The total prize money for the tournament is $6 million.
