3 T20 leagues which started after IPL but failed
The IPL is the number one T20 league in the cricket world at the moment. It started in 2008, and 14 years later, it is the most valued brand among T20 leagues. Initially, some foreign cricketers would skip the IPL to focus on international games and county cricket.
However, that trend has changed. Because of the various benefits of the IPL, international stars prefer playing the league over international matches. The success of the IPL and the enormous profits made by the BCCI tempted other cricket boards to launch their leagues as well.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) launched The Hundred in 2020, while Cricket West Indies (CWI) runs a successful tournament named the Caribbean Premier League.
Even the Big Bash League (BBL) and Pakistan Super League (PSL) have proven beneficial for Cricket Australia and Pakistan Cricket Board, respectively.
However, not all T20 leagues proved to be a hit among fans. This listicle will look at the three T20 leagues that began after the IPL but failed.
#1 Mzansi Super League - South Africa's IPL style tournament
Cricket South Africa (CSA) have tried to have a successful T20 league of their own, but failed twice. They launched the Mzansi Super League in 2018, with six franchises from different parts of the rainbow nation participating in the competition.
Big names like AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Chris Gayle, Dale Steyn, Quinton de Kock, Shoaib Malik, and others participated in the MSL. However, the league survived for only two years. CSA canceled the MSL seasons of 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another league, called the Global T20, was proposed last year. It, however, never took off as CSA were unable to find a sponsor or clinch a broadcast deal.
In 2022, they are set to launch a new league also comprising six teams. Interestingly, six IPL team owners have bought the franchises in CSA's new T20 league.
#2 Champions League T20
JUST IN: The Champions League T20 tournament has been scrapped with immediate effect. http://t.co/qrIq4fmChM
Champions League T20 was a star-studded tournament featuring top franchises from T20 competitions across the world. Even the Indian teams featured in the league. The tournament began in 2008, with its last edition taking place in 2014. Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings won two titles each.
The reason behind scrapping CLT20 was the over-reliance on Indian Premier League teams for TV viewership and ticket sales. Matches not featuring the Indian Premier League franchises performed poorly on TV and did not sell too many tickets.
Players also preferred playing for IPL franchises over their home clubs, whom they helped to achieve success. As a result, there was an imbalance between the squads.
BCCI, Cricket Australia, and Cricket South Africa, the three founding members of CLT20, scrapped it in July 2015 owing to audience disinterest and sponsorship problems.
#3 Sri Lanka Premier League
Final – Uva Next vs Negenahira Nagas – Scorecard bit.ly/QJJzFl | Sri Lanka Cricket
The Sri Lanka Premier League was a seven-team competition that took place in 2012. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) aimed to stage the tournament every year, but the organizers had to scrap the event due to financial reasons.
Uva Next won the SLPL tournament in 2012. In 2013 and 2014, SLC hosted a Super Fours competition featuring only four sides to determine the team representing Sri Lanka in the Champions League T20.
In 2020, SLC launched the Lanka Premier League. The league's third season was set to take place this year, but it had to be postponed due to financial problems.