5 popular cricket leagues to bet on
Cricket is one of the most widely followed sports on the planet. Millions of people became addicted to this sport as a result of its unique gameplay, and they grew fond of its various formats. Test matches run for about three to five days, One Day Internationals (ODIs) are done within a day, and Twenty20 matches are held within a few hours.
Many countries are well-known for their outstanding cricket teams. Aside from that, many countries offer leagues to highlight their local athletes’ abilities and sportsmanship. More often than not, new players who pull off a great performance in these leagues are likely to be absorbed on national teams.
With the growth of the sport, more and more fans engage in cricket betting activities with online bookies. Many of them are hooked on how they might put bets for upcoming league matches held by different countries, whether it may be with land-based or internet bookies like Sportsbet. This allows them to feel more drawn to their anticipated league matches.
There are several prestigious cricket leagues that are hosted across the globe. Here are some of them.
India Premier League
One of the most popular cricket leagues in the world is in India. This league, organized by the Indian BCC, became known as the most-attended cricket competition in the world. Aside from that, it is also known for generating the biggest revenue among all cricket leagues. One factor that may have contributed to this is its inclusion of foreign players on their team lineups.
The tournament format followed by this league is the double round-robin. This means that players will have to play against each other twice every season. The top two teams will play a qualifying match against each other. The winning team will immediately qualify for the Finals, while the losing team will play a second qualifying match.
Typically, the league tournament takes place between March and May so Sportsbet punters can wait for the odds before or during that time frame. The league is made up of eight clubs that represent various towns across the country. Here are those cities.
- Chennai
- Delhi
- Punjab
- Kolkata
- Mumbai (most successful franchise – 5 titles)
- Rajasthan
- Bangalore
- Hyderabad
Big Bash League
This is a professional T20 Australian cricket competition that is regarded as one of the country’s largest sports leagues. This competition, which began in 2011, took the place of the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash, which had previously been the country’s most important cricketing event. Still, this is known as one of the most widely watched cricket matches in the world.
BBL also uses the double round-robin tournament format so teams can proceed to the Knockout Finals. After that stage, the two remaining teams will compete at the League Finals which is to be held at the home ground of the highest-ranked team.
Typically, each season lasts from December until February. There are also eight participating teams from Australia’s states. The participating teams in this league are:
- Adelaide Strikers
- Brisbane Heat
- Hobart Hurricanes
- Melbourne Renegades
- Melbourne Stars
- Perth Scorchers (most successful team – 3 titles)
- Sydney Sixers (most successful team – 3 titles)
- Sydney Thunder
Pakistan Super League
The PSL is a professional T20 cricket league established in 2015 to be the country’s highest professional sports league. Originally, this league has 5 teams, until a sixth team was added in 2018 by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Each of the teams is individually owned and controlled by their sponsors and investors.
This league is also played in a double round robin format. In this league, the top four teams will be qualified for the playoffs. Then, teams who will make it past the playoffs will compete in the PSL Cup Final.
Here are the six teams that compete every February to March.
- Islamabad United (most successful team – 2 titles)
- Karachi Kings
- Lahore Qalandars
- Multan Sultans
- Peshawar Zalmi
- Quetta Gladiators
Bangladesh Premier League
BPL is one of the three professional cricket leagues that are handled by the Bangladesh Cricket Board. This tournament is also dedicated to the Twenty20 format of the sports which a lot of locals love. This league was formed in 2011 but only had its first season the year after.
The tournament follows the round-robin format. This means that the top four teams will be those who can advance to the playoffs. There is a single elimination game and two qualifier matches. The two teams who will win the qualifier games will compete in the BPL Championship game.
These are the teams that actively played in the most recently concluded season.
- Khulna Tigers
- Rajshahi Royals
- Chattogram Challengers
- Dhaka Platoon (most successful franchise – 3 titles)
- Cumilla Warriors
- Rangpur Rangers
- Sylhet Thunder
T20 Blast League
The T20 Blast League, which is regulated by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), is another popular cricket league in which spectators can wager on Sportsbet. This league was established in 2003, making it one of the world’s earliest professional T20 competitions.
This league is well-known for having the most teams competing in it. The league consists of 18 teams separated into two categories: the Northern and Southern Divisions. The teams in each division will have to compete against each other until only four teams are left. The remaining teams will have to compete in a set of quarter-finals where only four teams will remain. After that, the semi-finals and the final matches are to be played on the same day.
The teams that compete during each season, which runs from July to August, are listed below.
- Northern Division teams
- Derbyshire Falcons
- Durham Lions
- Lancashire Lightning
- Leicestershire Foxes (most successful team – 3 titles)
- Northamptonshire Steelbacks
- Notts Outlaws
- Birmingham Bears
- Worcestershire Rapids
- Yorkshire Vikings
- Southern Division teams
- Essex Eagles
- Glamorgan
- Gloucestershire
- Hampshire
- Kent Spitfires
- Middlesex
- Somerset
- Surrey
- Sussex Sharks
These are just some of the popular cricket leagues that fans must check out whenever they visit online bookmakers like Sportsbet. By knowing more about these leagues and the teams that fall under them, punters can be more confident whenever they engage in cricket betting activities. Aside from that, this also