The game of cricket is more than 200 years old now. The game found its way into different nations via different formats. The introduction of white ball cricket was handy in taking the game to places.
The formation of franchise leagues all over the world has left the world divided on opinions. The franchises leagues are definitely blessings in disguise as they provide opportunities to youngsters and players who somehow don’t make it to national teams.
Some of the top cricket leagues of the world are:
Indian Premier League
World’s biggest and finest cricket league? The Indian Premier League will be the answer! IPL was introduced to the cricket world in 2008, a year after the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa. The introduction of the shortest format in 2006 was influential in taking cricket to places. India lacked no resources for the formation of the league. Businessmen and celebrities from all around the nation invested in 8 teams. Conducted auctions required one marquee signing for each team along with young players from the U-19 side. MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne etc were some of the key men signed by the franchises.
The IPL inspired other cricketing nations to bring up their own T20 leagues, Big Bash League being the second oldest. IPL has been known for nourishing all the youth ranging from domestic to overseas. IPL is played in the April-May window every year. It has been successfully organized in alternate venues like South Africa in 2009, UAE in 2014, 2020 and 2021. IPL has been rising despite constant criticism from orthodox experts. The league expanded to 10 teams in 2022.
- Current Champions: Chennai Super Kings (5th title)
- Most Titles: Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians (5 titles)
- Most Runs: Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
- Most Wickets: Yuzvendra Chahal (Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals)
Big Bash League
Australia’s Big Bash League was founded in 2011. The inaugural BBL season was graced by legends like Matthew Hayden, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Ricky Ponting, Shahid Afridi, Shane Warne, Chris Gayle and Herschelle Gibbs. It has been a lesser known fact that the BBL actually replaced KFC Twenty20 Big Bash which existed from 2005 to 2011. Eight teams fight for the trophy using the round-Robin format every year.
The KFC Big Bash League has been unearthing some pace bowling talent from down under. BBL squads bring in a lot of regional talent as they feature less overseas players, providing more opportunities for the Australians. The league is also known for introducing unique and creative additions or rules to the game. A bat is flipped instead of a coin at the toss in the BBL. In 2020, BBL lifted the excitement levels by getting in rules like Power Surge, X Factor and Bash Boost. The X factor rule inspired the “Impact Player” rule in the IPL.
- Current Champions: Perth Scorchers (5th title)
- Most Titles: Perth Scorchers (5 titles)
- Most Runs: Chris Lynn
- Most Wickets: Sean Abbott
Caribbean Premier League
The CPL was introduced in 2013 as a replacement to the Caribbean Twenty20 in the islands. The league now is almost a decade old and has featured six teams since inauguration. CPL provides high quality power-hitting content to the fans all over the world. The Windies players are currently popular for their specialist attitude in the shortest format. In fact these players have brought in high viewership to the Caribbean.
CPL includes six teams battling it out in the double round robin format. The league has gained huge viewership and exposure during the pandemic days.
- Current Champions: Jamaica Tallawahs
- Most Titles: Trinbago Knight Riders
- Most Runs: Lendl Simmons
- Most Wickets: Dwayne Bravo
Vitality Blast T20
The Vitality Blast is the world’s longest existing T20 league. The first edition was played in 2003 with the name, Twenty20 Cup. The league’s name changed repeatedly due to sponsorships. The league being the oldest in world cricket receives tremendous response from the local audience. The world pandemic since 2020 led to an increase in worldwide fanbase and viewership.
The league is played with 18 teams competing for the title. The teams are divided into 2 groups. Several Vitality Blast fixtures are being scheduled on the same time at different venues.
- Current Champions: Lancashire
- Most Titles: Leicestershire
- Most Runs: James Vince
- Most Wickets: Danny Briggs
The Hundred
The Hundred is an innovative franchise league organized by England. The league is played with count of deliveries and not overs. Hundred balls are bowled per innings which inspired the league’s title. The league gained positive response from both players and fans. The league didn’t fail despite being unique as there’s less difference in comparison to T20 leagues.
The Hundred’s first edition was played in 2021 with both men’s and women’s teams and fixtures.
- Current Champions: Trent Rockets
- Most Titles: Trent Rockets, Southern Brave (1 title)
- Most Runs: Dawid Malan
- Most Wickets: Samit Patel
SA20
South Africa’s new premier T20 league was launched in 2022 and the matches were played in January 2023. Betway SA20 promised high voltage action to the Protea fans. Cricket South Africa tried their level best to promote and conduct leagues like Global T20 League and Mzansi Super League. Unfortunately, both leagues turned out to be disasters.
The CSA established SA20 through a newly formed body, Africa Cricket Development Limited. In August 2022, Greame Smith was introduced as the Commissioner of the SA20. Interestingly, all the SA20 franchises belong to IPL franchise groups. Teams went to sign players who played for the IPL franchise of the new team. This led to a good amount of viewership in the initial season itself.
- Current Champions: Sunrisers Eastern Cape
- Most Titles: Sunrisers Eastern Cape
- Most Runs: Jos Buttler (Paarl Royals)
- Most Wickets: Roelof van der Merwe (Sunrisers Eastern Cape)
ILT20
The ILT20 is a newly formed cricket league in the United Arab Emirates. UAE has been a prominent venue for Asian matches. The cricket team of UAE aims to develop their gameplay year by year. The league was announced officially in 2022 and the first season was played in 2023.
The inaugural season was played with six teams which included 3 IPL franchise investments. Despite a clash with the SA20, the league was highly successful.
- Current Champions: Gulf Giants
- Most Titles: Gulf Giants
- Most Runs: Alex Hales (Desert Vipers)
- Most Wickets: Chris Jordan (Gulf Giants)
Pakistan Super League
PSL’s first edition was organized by the Pakistan Cricket Board in 2016. Pakistan’s national team has benefited a lot from the presence of PSL. The league receives a huge response from various T20 specialist players. The PSL is often scheduled in the months of January-February.
- Current Champions: Lahore Qalandars
- Most Titles: Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars
- Most Runs: Babar Azam
- Most Wickets: Wahab Riaz
Conclusion
Franchise leagues certainly provide good opportunities to players but the rise of the leagues simultaneously affects the calendar of national level cricket, which cannot be ignored. Some top players have turned down national team contracts in order to be available for T20 leagues and indeed it is a matter of concern.
