Courtesy: IPL/PSL
The historical shift in the world of cricket happened with the introduction of the T20 format in the early 2000s, and it has changed the fate of the sport as we know it. Over the past couple of decades, the T20 format has brought new audiences to cricket, and it has also allowed the players to evolve with their skills, to have the best possible chance of succeeding at the international and franchise level.
The beginning of franchise cricket with the advent of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008 kick-started a new revolution in the sport, which has led to an insane number of new franchise leagues popping up all over the place. In this article, SportsTiger ranks the top five leagues in world cricket, which set the standard for the rest to follow.
Ranking the top 5 leagues in world cricket currently
1. IPL
The Indian Premier League (IPL) was established by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2007 before its inaugural season was played in 2008, and since then, the fandom for the league, and its 10 teams has grown immensely not just in India, but all over the cricketing world. The commercial success of the IPL, getting value at around $12 billion as per the latest report of Times of India, has been built around its fans, who have made it the most-watched franchise league in the world currently.
2. SA20
SA20, the premier franchise T20 league in South Africa beginning in 2023, has all their six team owners belonging to the IPL and a healthy fan following not just online, but at the grounds all over the country, propelling it to second place in the rankings in such a short time. The global popularity of the SA20 has ensured that South Africa cricket is in a good place financially after quite some time, which bodes well for the sport as a whole.
3. BBL
Big Bash League (BBL) was first played in the 2011-12 season in Australia, and since then, it has consistently been among the top leagues in terms of audience engagement and quality of cricket played. But, over the past few years, the lack of participation on a regular basis from some of the top Australian cricketers in the BBL due to international commitments or other reasons, meant that the league’s popularity has dwindled a bit, although it still has a sizable fan following and the interest hasn’t gone down that much.
4. PSL
Pakistan Super League (PSL), established in 2015, has benefitted immensely after its matches have been regularly held in Pakistan over the past few years, but the lack of a confirmed window hasn’t helped its cause. In the upcoming season, the PSL is shifted from its traditional February-March window to April-May window during the IPL because of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 being played in the country, but regardless, some of the top players will still be taking part in it once again.
5. The Hundred
The Hundred, the 100-ball tournament, which began in 2021 with its first edition, got a new lease of life over the past few weeks with the limited stake of each of the eight teams getting sold at whopping sums of money to the private owners from all over the world. With that, The Hundred is expected to grow further in terms of popularity among the masses just like the financial side of things, and it could end up higher in the list of top leagues in world cricket in the near future.
