Chennai, Jun 29 (IANS): Hailing the Indian Premier League (IPL) as the biggest domestic competition, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has said other leagues have followed suit by watching the cash-rich tournament to start their own franchise competitions.

"The initial interest was obviously watching the IPL and seeing how big it was, it is the biggest domestic competition, T20 cricket being relatively new, what I saw was an opportunity to gain experience and learn," Williamson told Ravichandran Ashwin on the senior India off-spinner's YouTube show titled 'DRS with Ash'.

"For us, to see the passion for cricket in India is an amazing thing, it is a brilliant competition and there is a high standard, a lot of other countries have followed suit to start their leagues," he added.

Williamson, who plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and has also led the side in the past, said he always kept an open mind while playing the IPL.

"It is quite different to lead New Zealand and an IPL franchise, initially I did not know what to expect, but like I mentioned it is an Indian competition so you are coming into quite a different culture, I was trying to keep an open mind, there is a lot of experience in all of the groups, it was an enjoyable season to lead the Sunrisers Hyderabad," Williamson said.

"The support staff have been there at Hyderabad for a long time and they have enjoyed success, it was about maintaining the style of play that we are known for," he added.

Williamson has played 41 matches in the IPL so far, managing to score 1,302 runs at an average of 38.29.