How many cricket leagues are there in the world?

2023 seems to be a watershed moment for franchise cricket leagues—SA 20, IL T20, MLC 2023, Zim Afro T10, and the revival of Global T20 Canada.

Feel like you can’t keep track anymore? Well don’t worry, we are here to help you.

Key Takeaways

• There are 15 professional leagues in cricket, from which 13 are franchise leagues and two are domestic T20 competitions that attract a variety of overseas stars (Vitality Blast, Super Smash). From the 13 franchise leagues, two are T10, one is in the ‘hundred’ format, while the other 10 are twenty20 competitions.
• In 2023, October is the only without any major cricket league competition since October 5 – November 19 is reserved for the 2023 ODI World Cup.
• From November 23, 2022 to September 24, 2023, there were only 20 days where franchise cricket was not scheduled (December 5-12, March 19-30).
• If we count all the date ranges for the 15 major T20 tournaments, there were 509 days of cricket (greater than 365 because several leagues are now overlapping with each other. Also domestic tournaments like the Vitality blast tend to be spread out longer with breaks. Actual cricket might not be played every day).

Cricket Leagues Calendar – By Season

• November-February: Abu Dhabi T10, Big Bash League (BBL), Super Smash, Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), South Africa T20 (SA T20), International League T20 (ILT20)
• February-May: Pakistan Super League (PSL), Indian Premier League (IPL)
• May-July: The Vitality Blast (also good time for a World Cup window), TNPL
• July-September: Major League Cricket, Global T20 Canada, The Hundred, Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Shpageeza Cricket League*, Road Safety World Series, Maharaja T20 Trophy
• October: Window for world tournament (or…Champions League), Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

*not held every year

Also Read: The Need For Champions League & a T20 League Calendar, How Much Do Different Types of Cricketers Earn Per Year (2022)? Salaries of Pujara, Stokes, Warner, Billings, Tim David Revealed!

List of Cricket Leagues: Top 15 Franchise, T10, & T20 Competitions

*Note: The date ranges are either from last year or the upcoming 2023 season if it has not happened yet. We first start with the Abu Dhabi T10 league from November 2022.

1. Abu Dhabi T10: November 23 – December 4

• Country: United Arab Emirates (UAE)
• Number of Seasons Played: 6 (2017-)
• Number of Teams: 8

Days played: 12

Embed from Getty Images

2. Big Bash League (BBL): December 13 – February 4

• Country: Australia
• Number of Seasons Played: 12 (2011-)
• Number of Teams: 8

Days Played: 54

Embed from Getty Images

3. Super Smash: December 23 – February 11

• Country: New Zealand
• Number of Seasons Played: 18
• Number of Teams: 6

Days Played: 51

Embed from Getty Images

4. Bangladesh Premier League (BPL): January 6 – February 16

• Country: Bangladesh
• Number of Seasons Played: 9 (2012-)
• Number of Teams: 7

Days Played: 42

Embed from Getty Images

5. South Africa 20 (SA20): January 10 – February 12

• Country: South Africa
• Number of Seasons Played: 1 (2023-)
• Number of Teams: 6

Days Played: 34

6. International League T20 (ILT20): January 13 – February 12

• Country: South Africa
• Number of Seasons Played: 1 (2023-)
• Number of Teams: 6

Days Played: 31

Embed from Getty Images

7. Pakistan Super League (PSL): February 13 – March 18

• Country: Pakistan
• Number of Seasons Played: 8 (2016-)
• Number of Teams: 6

Days Played: 34

Embed from Getty Images

8. Indian Premier League (IPL): March 31 – May 29

• Country: India
• Number of Seasons Played: 16 (2008-)
• Number of Teams: 10

Days Played: 60

Embed from Getty Images

9. T20 Vitality Blast: May 20 – July 15

• Country: England and Wales
• Number of Seasons Played: 21 (2003-)
• Number of Teams: 18

Days Played: 57

Embed from Getty Images

10. Major League Cricket (MLC): July 13 – July 30

• Country: United States
• Number of Seasons Played: 1 (2023-)
• Number of Teams: 6

Days Played: 18

Embed from Getty Images

11. Global T20 Canada (GLT20): July 20 – August 6

• Country: Canada
• Number of Seasons Played: 3 (2018-)
• Number of Teams: 6

Days Played: 18

Embed from Getty Images

12. Zim Afro T10 League: July 21 – July 29

• Country: Canada
• Number of Seasons Played: 1 (2023-)
• Number of Teams: 5

Days Played: 9

13. Lanka Premier League (LPL): July 30 – August 20

• Country: Sri Lanka
• Number of Seasons Played: 4 (2020-)
• Number of Teams: 5

Days Played: 22

Embed from Getty Images

14. The Hundred: August 1 – August 27

• Country: England and Wales
• Number of Seasons Played: 3 (2021-)
• Number of Teams: 8

Days Played: 27

Embed from Getty Images

15. Caribbean Premier League (CPL): August 16 – September 24

• Country: West Indies
• Number of Seasons Played: 10 (2013-)
• Number of Teams: 6

Days Played: 40

Embed from Getty Images

Honorable Mentions: Other Cricket Leagues & T20 Competitions

16. Shpageeza Cricket League: July 18 – August 5

• Country: Afghanistan
• Number of Seasons Played: 5 (2016-)
• Number of Teams: 8

Days Played: 19

*has not been held consistently every year

17. Road Safety World Series T20 League: September 10 – October 1

• Country: India
• Number of Seasons Played: 2 (2020-)
• Number of Teams: 8

Days Played: 22

*leagues for retired legends

Embed from Getty Images

18. Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL): June 12 – July 12

• Country: India
• Number of Seasons Played: 7 (2016-)
• Number of Teams: 8

Days Played: 31

*regional T20 league

19. Karnataka Premier League (Maharaja Trophy T20): August 14 – August 30

• Country: India
• Number of Seasons Played: 8 (2009-)
• Number of Teams: 6

Days Played: 17

*regional T20 league

20. Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: October 16 – November 6

• Country: India
• Number of Seasons Played: 15 (2006-)
• Number of Teams: 38

Days Played: 22

*domestic T20 league, but gaining prominence over the years

List of Defunct Cricket Leagues

• Euro T20 Slam, Mzansi Super League (South Africa), KFC Twenty20 Big Bash (Australia), Inter-Provincial Twenty20 (Sri Lanka), Stanford 20/20 (West Indies)

Final Thoughts

Leagues are propping everywhere, World Cups are now sandwiched between the leagues, and bilateral cricket is going nowhere.

The ODI Super League is now extinct (although Netherlands’ brilliance might force a rethink), the World Test Championship shows promise, but could be improved. The haphazard year-around schedule impacts logistics, mental health, injury management, and causes early retirements.

Until a stable international cricket calendar is formed, we will have to form the cricket calendar according to the franchise leagues, with the Indian Premier League in the center as the marquee event.

Frequently Asked Questions

Photo Courtesy: © Zim Afro T10 (Irfan Pathan bowling in the Zimbabwe Afro T10 League competition – #12)

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, LLC 2023. Originally published on 07/25/2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).