Cricket is now the most watched and followed sport in the world after football/soccer. There are 3 formats in cricket. These cricket formats are Test, ODI and T20. T20 format of cricket is the most watched and loved cricket format in 2023.
T20 cricket is the shortest format of cricket. There are 20 overs for both teams in t20 cricket. That is the reason why t20 is so much popular, because 40 overs cricket is easy to watch and enjoy. On the other hand, ODI and Test cricket is boring because it is long and requires time to watch.
In T20 cricket, batting pattern is changed, more boundaries required to reach a good target. So a large number of cricket audiences are interested in boundaries and like the hitter batsman instead of slow batsman.
The T20 cricket format was introduced by the England and Wales cricket board in 2003. The first ever t20 match was played for the inter county competition. This t20 competition was played between 13 teams in England.
After the success of this Tournament other countries also arranged t20 tournaments. These countries include Pakistan and the West indies. The popularity of T20 cricket started booming so this format was also introduced in international cricket.
when T20 cricket started
The first ever international T20 cricket match was played on August 5 2004 between England and New Zealand women’s team. The New Zealand team won this match. First ever men’s t20 match was played between Australia and New Zealand on February 17 2005.
When the popularity of T20 cricket and the audience interest in t20 cricket started increasing, the t20 world cup was also introduced to give more pleasure to cricket fans. The first ever t20 men’s world cup was played in 2007.
T20 cricket leagues
After the success of the t20 world cup, this format of cricket was introduced in league cricket. We have discussed the top 10 best t20 cricket leagues worldwide. So keep reading till the end for more interesting and amazing stuff.
Indian premier League (IPL)
When the popularity of t20 cricket was at its peak, the board of control of cricket in India started the well known t20 cricket league, Indian premier league which is commonly known as IPL.
When was IPL started
Indian Premier League IPL was started in 2008. There were 8 teams in the first season of no 1 t20 league IPL. Rajasthan Royals was the first champion of Indian premier league. In the recent IPL edition total 10 teams played for the cup.
Since then the popularity of IPL never decreased, a total of 16 seasons of IPL has been played since 2008. The most recent edition of IPL was played in 2023, and the champion of the most recent IPL is Chennai Super king.
The prize money in IPL is the biggest prize money in any cricket league. The prize money in IPL is RS 20 crores for winner and RS 13 crores for runner up.
Big Bash League
The no 2 in our list is big bash league. Its common name is BBL. Big bash league is the Australian T20 cricket league, which was started in 2011 by the Australian cricket board.
After the Indian premier league, BBL is the second most loved and watched best cricket t20 leagues. It is played in Australia in December and January.
There are 8 teams playing for the cup in Big bash league. Total 12 seasons of BBL have been played till now. The most recent edition of bbl was played in 2021, and the current champion is “Brisbane Heat”
The prize money of BBL is $500,000 for winners and $250,000 for runners-up. The full name of this league is KFC big bash league. It is because KFC is the sponsor of this league.
T20 Blast
This is the oldest and first ever t20 league, which was started in 2003. T20 blast is not so much popular as IPL and BBL, but because of its history it is still revived and many fans watch this league every season.
From 2003 till now a total of 20 seasons of t20 blast have been played. The most recent t20 blast season have been played in 2022. Total 18 teams participated in the last season of t20 blast, and Hampshire Hawks won the recent title. The prize money for the two blast league is $240,00
Pakistan Super League (PSL)
PSL is on 4th in our list of best t20 cricket leagues. Pakistan super league which is also known as HBL psl was started in 2016. It is named as HBL psl because Habib bank (HBL) will be the main sponsor of psl till 2026.
PSL is 4th because of its increasing popularity. The first two seasons of psl were played between 5 teams. The sixth team was added to the PSL in 2018.
Total 8 seasons of psl have been played since 2016. The current champion of Pakistan super league is Lahore Qalandar. The winner got $2million and the runner up team got $500,000.
Caribbean Premier League (CPL)
The Caribbean premier league is the annual t20 cricket tournament, held in caribbean. This league was started in 2013. Total 9 seasons of cpl have been played till now. There are 6 teams participating for the title.
The prize money for the CPL winner is $1million, and for the runner ups it is $660,000. CPL always receives good responses from the audience and players. The stadiums are always full in cpl matches.
Bangladesh Premier League (BPL)
BPL is the official t20 cricket league of Bangladesh. Bangladesh premier league was started in 2012. Total 7 teams are part of BPL. This league is also very popular with cricket fans, that is the reason BPL is in our list of best t20 cricket leagues.
Since 2012, a total of 7 seasons of bpl have been played. The most recent BPL edition was played in 2022. “Balkh Legends” won the BPL in 2022, and got the prize money of $850,000.
Conclusion
T20 cricket is the most interesting and loved format of cricket. With the increase in popularity of t20 cricket, many leagues started, some of them are discussed in the article. We have discussed the top 6 best T20 cricket leagues. There are other leagues also, but they are not that much successful and popular.
In conclusion Indian premier leagues is the best t20 cricket league to watch and follow in 2023. Matches in the ipl are very interesting and thrilling. If you are searching for the best t20 cricket league to watch for entertainment. Consider watching IPL, you will never get disappointed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Indian premier League (IPL) is currently the best t20 cricket league in the world. It is far better than PSL. Their budget, their teams, and international players participating in IPL are better than PSL, that is the reason IPL is better.
Babar Azam, Pakistani cricket team captain is considered as the best player in the psl history, because he is the most run scorer in psl.
Virat Kohli is the best player in the Indian premier league.
Ben McDermott is the best player in the big bash league.
The prize money for the PSL tournament is 2 million dollars for the winners and 500,000 dollars for the runner ups.
The Prize money of IPL is 20 million usd for the winners and 10 million usd for the runner ups.