By 2009, the war was scorched earth. The BCCI had pressured the ICC to ban ICL players from official cricket. But the ICL fought back, shifting its 2009 season to accommodate the IPL’s window, directly competing for viewership.
This move could have been a disaster, but instead, it became a triumph of logistics and marketing. The "Rainbow Nation" embraced the tournament, and the IPL proved it was a global product, not just an Indian one. With stars like MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, and international icons like Adam Gilchrist and AB de Villiers, the IPL had the star power that fans craved.