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Top 10 Biggest Cricket League in the World

Abu Dhabi T10 League

The Abu Dhabi T10 is a Ten10 cricket league in the United Arab Emirates, launched and owned by T10 League, and approved by the Emirates Cricket Board. 
The league was first held in 2017 and has seen significant growth in viewership and economic value since its inception.
The 2021 edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 recorded an 84% viewership rise compared to the 2019 season. The league’s YouTube page garnered a global reach of 90 million, while its social media handles reached out to 82.8 million fans worldwide. 
The total number of fans who watched the Abu Dhabi T10 rose from 92.6 million (TV & OTT) in the 2021 season to 157.4 million in the 2023 season.
The league has seen a 38.52% rise in net sponsorship value compared to the 2021 season. 
The 2023 edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 will take place at the Shiekh Zayed Cricket Stadium. The league has been founded by Shaji Ul Mulk, the chairman of T10 League.

Masters Champions League

The Masters Champions League (MCL) was a Twenty20 cricket league held in the United Arab Emirates and contested by former international cricketers.
The league was established in 2015 and received approval for 10 seasons from the Emirates Cricket Board.
The tournament featured six teams and was designed to provide a platform for retired players to showcase their skills and entertain cricket fans.
However, the league faced difficulties, including problems with player payments, which almost led to players not being paid.
In terms of financial information, the player auction saw former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis achieve the top bid, joining the Libra Legends for US$175,000.
Other high bids included former Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist, purchased by the Sagittarius Strikers for $170,000.

SA20

SA20, also known as Betway SA20 for sponsorship reasons, is a Twenty20 franchise cricket tournament in South Africa, organized by Cricket South Africa (CSA).
The league was first contested during the 2022–23 season and is played by six teams based in cities around the country.
The tournament follows a double round-robin and playoffs format, with each team playing 34 matches.
The matches are broadcast on SuperSport in South Africa, Sports18 in India, Sky Sports in England, Jio Cinema in India, Fox Sports in Australia, and Willow TV in the USA.
The 2023–24 SA20, also known as Betway SA20 2024, is the second season of the tournament and is scheduled to be played from 10 January to 10 February 2024.

Lanka Premier League

The Lanka Premier League (LPL) is a professional Twenty20 franchise cricket league established in 2020 in Sri Lanka.
The league features five teams named after Sri Lankan cities, and matches are played using the Twenty20 cricket format.
The LPL has gained significant exposure, attracting over 500 million viewers and securing a total sponsorship of US$316.1 million.
The league’s growing viewership and substantial sponsorship deals have contributed to its rising prominence in the world of cricket.

Vitality Blast T20 Cup

The Vitality Blast T20 Cup, also known as the T20 Blast, is a professional Twenty20 cricket competition for English and Welsh first-class counties.
The competition was established by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003.
It is the top-level Twenty20 competition in England and Wales.
The competition has been known by a variety of names due to commercial sponsorship.
It was known as the Twenty20 Cup from 2003 to 2009, the Friends Provident t20 and Friends Life t20 from 2010 to 2013, and the Natwest t20 Blast from 2014 to 2017.
The competition has been sponsored by insurance company Vitality since 2018 and is known as the Vitality Blast.
The tournament sees 18 teams compete in a group stage and knockout format. The 2021 Vitality Blast was the 2021 season of the T20 Blast. The Notts Outlaws were the defending champions.
The tournament saw six different winners in its seven years.
In terms of viewership and attendance, the 2020 season of the Vitality Blast T20 Cup saw a dip in viewership from 424,000 to 384,000.
The total attendance figure for the tournament was around 800,000, including a sell-out crowd at Edgbaston on Finals Day.
The financial success of the league is likely to be influenced by a variety of factors, including ticket sales, broadcasting rights, and commercial partnerships.

Bangladesh Premier League (BPL)

The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league organized by the BPL Governing Council and is the top T20 cricket league in Bangladesh.
The league was launched in 2012 and has since become a significant part of the global T20 cricket landscape.
The BPL follows a double round-robin and playoff format, with each team playing 14 matches in the league stage and four teams qualifying for the playoffs.
The league has seven participating teams, including Chattogram Challengers, Comilla Victorians, Durdanto Dhaka, Fortune Barishal, Khulna Tigers, Rangpur Riders, and Sylhet Strikers.
The BPL has gained recognition for its competitive cricket and has contributed to the growth of T20 cricket in Bangladesh.
The league has also attracted significant attention from fans, media, and sponsors, further establishing its position as a prominent T20 competition.
The latest edition of the BPL is the 2024 season, also known as BPL Season 10, which will feature seven participating teams and a total of 46 matches.
The BPL has a dedicated official website for fans to access the latest news, team information, and match updates.
The league has also been broadcast on various platforms, including Eurosport, further expanding its global viewership and engagement.

Pakistan Super League (PSL)

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is a professional men’s Twenty20 cricket league contested by six city-based franchise teams.
The league was founded in 2015 by the Pakistan Cricket Board and has since become a prominent fixture in the global T20 cricket landscape.
The PSL follows a double round-robin and playoffs format, with each team playing 10 matches in the league stage. The top four teams then compete in the playoffs, with the winner being crowned the champion.
The league has gained significant attention and has a dedicated official website, as well as an official YouTube channel for fans to access the latest news, team information, match updates, and videos.
The PSL has also been broadcast on various platforms, further expanding its global viewership and engagement. The league has seen several high-profile players from around the world, contributing to its growing popularity and competitive nature.
The Pakistan Super League (PSL) has garnered massive success in terms of revenue, generating PKR 5.62 billion in 2023. The PSL had a viewership of 144 million people on television in Pakistan.

Caribbean Premier League (CPL)

The Caribbean Premier League is an annual Twenty20 cricket tournament held in the Caribbean.
It was founded by Cricket West Indies in 2013 to replace the Caribbean Twenty20 as the premier Twenty20 competition in the Caribbean.
The league has also delivered outstanding exposure for partner tourist boards during the 2021 season, with a total sponsorship value of US$316.1 million.
The CPL’s growing popularity and extensive viewership have enticed brands to associate with the league, leading to a rise in sponsorships and brand associations.
The 2022 Hero CPL generated a total direct economic impact of US$134,686,551 on the region, with an additional US$66,250,232 in sponsorship value.
The tournament was held in four countries, including St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago, and Guyana, and generated a record-breaking viewership figure of 721.8 million, making it the third successive year that the tournament has generated a viewership figure of over half a billion.

Big Bash League (BBL)

Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) is indeed a major player in the cricketing world.
Established in 2011 by Cricket Australia, the BBL is a professional Twenty20 cricket competition that features eight city-based franchises.
The BBL had an average viewership of 735,000 viewers per match in its tenth edition.
The 2023 BBL final pulled in an average domestic audience of 548,000 on pay-TV network Foxtel and the Kayo streaming service.
The BBL has been sponsored by fast food chicken outlet KFC since its inception.
It was in 2016/17 that one of the two T20 cricket leagues, alongside the Indian Premier League, featured amongst the top ten domestic sports leagues in average attendance.
The winner of BBL 12 (2022/2023) was the Perth Scorchers, who beat the Brisbane Heat by 5 wickets in the final.
BBL matches are played in Australia during the summer, in December, January, and February.
The BBL has seen six different winners in its seven years. The Perth Scorchers are the most successful team in the league’s short history, having won the title five times including consecutively for two years.
The Sydney Sixers have won the title three times, including consecutively for two years.
The other four teams that have won the title are the Adelaide Strikers, Melbourne Renegades, Brisbane Heat, and Sydney Thunder.
The BBL has also seen significant exposure for partner tourist boards during the 2021 season with a total sponsorship value of US$316.1 million.
The league has been a significant contributor to the global sports industry through its immense viewership and substantial economic contributions.

Indian Premier League (IPL)

The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as the TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men’s Twenty20 (T20) cricket league that is annually held in India.
The league is contested by ten city-based franchise teams.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) founded the league in 2007.
The competition is usually held in summer between March and May every year.
It has an exclusive window in the ICC Future Tours Programme due to fewer international cricket tours happening during IPL seasons worldwide.
The IPL had a viewership of 362 million and reached 451 million unique audiences as of week five cumulatively.
The IPL has seen exponential growth in sponsorship, with companies like DLF and Pepsi previously holding the title sponsorship.
The brand value of the league in 2022 was ₹90,038 crore (US$11 billion).
According to BCCI, the 2015 IPL season contributed ₹1,150 crore (US$140 million) to the GDP of the economy of India.
In December 2022, the IPL became a decacorn valued at US$10.9 billion, registering a 75% growth in dollar terms since 2020 when it was valued at $6.2 billion.
Its 2023 final was the most streamed live event on the internet with 3.2 crore or 32 million viewers.
In 2023, the league sold its media rights for the period of 2023–2027 for US$6.4 billion to Viacom18 and Star Sports, making the IPL’s value per match $13.4 million.
As of 2023, there have been sixteen seasons of the tournament.
The current champions are Chennai Super Kings, who won the season 2023 after defeating Gujarat Titans in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

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