There are so many cricket tournaments that it can be hard to keep track of them all. There are major international competitions, such as the Cricket World Cup, Champions Trophy, and Ashes, as well as several regional tournaments.
Some of these have been around for a long time, while others are relatively new additions. There’s also the domestic game to consider (and there’s a lot of it). And then there’s everything in between.
To help you navigate this world of cricket tournaments and trophies, we’ve put together a guide to some of the most important ones.
The Major International Competitions
As we journey through the cricket tournament calendar, let’s begin with the major international competitions. These are the holy trinity of the cricketing calendar in terms of how cricket fans will measure a year’s success.
The Test Championship
The Test Championship started in 2019 and was the first ever Test Championship. TheTest Championship includes eight teams playing each other once in a round-robin format. The top two teams at the end of the series will go into a final to decide which is crowned the Test Champion.
The Test Championship will be played over a two-year cycle, with the series played as either a five- or six-match series. Points will be awarded both for wins and draws. The team finishing top at the end of the two-year cycle will be declared the Test Champion.
The T20I Championship
The T20I Championship is scheduled to begin shortly in the coming years. It features the top 10 T20I teams. The competition will be played over a two-year cycle, with each team playing each other home and away in a series of either three or four matches.
Points will again be awarded both for wins and draw, with bonus points potentially also on offer for particularly impressive performances. The team finishing top at the end of the two-year cycle will be declared the winner of the T20I Championship.
The Asia Cup
The Asia Cup first took place in 1984, with India winning the first three tournaments. Pakistan is the current champion, having beaten India in the final of the 2017 tournament. The Asia Cup is a tournament for the 10 Test-playing nations in Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. It is played every two years, although the 2019 edition has been postponed due to the Indian general election.
The tournament is played in a round-robin format, with the top two teams at the end of the group stage going through to the final. The winner then gets a chance to play against the top-ranked team in the world in a Test match series.
The ICC Champions Trophy
The ICC Champions Trophy arose from the ashes of the now-defunct ICC Knockout tournament, with the first Champions Trophy taking place in 2002. The event is primarily played between the six highest-ranked ODI teams and takes place every two years.
The upcoming tournament will see India go head to head with Australia, England battle Pakistan, and Sri Lanka faces New Zealand. The competition sees each team play each other once in a round-robin format – the two highest-ranked teams at the end of the group stage and then go through to the final.
The winner then gets a chance to play against the top-ranked team in the world in a Test match series.
The T20 World Cup
The T20 World Cup is held every two years and features the 16 highest-ranked T20I teams. The tournament sees each team play each other once in a round-robin format – the two highest-ranked teams at the end of the group stage and then go through to the final.
The winner then gets a chance to play against the top-ranked team in the world in a Test match series. The T20 World Cup was first held in 2007 and is generally played in October and November each year. The 2016 edition took place in India, with the 2020 edition set to be held in Australia.
The World Twenty20
The World Twenty20 is a biennial international cricket tournament played under the rules of Twenty20. It is organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC), with the first tournament having been held in 2007.
It features 16 International Twenty20 teams, with the top 8 teams from the previous tournament receiving automatic entry. The remaining 8 teams are selected through a qualification process that begins two years prior to the tournament.
The 2020 World Twenty20 will be held in Australia and New Zealand. The World Twenty20 tournament is generally held in October each year, with the 2016 edition taking place in India.
The ODI League
The ODI League features the top 10 ODI teams. The competition will be played over a two-year cycle, with each team playing each other home and away in a series of either three or four matches.
Points will be awarded both for wins and draw, with bonus points potentially also on offer for particularly impressive performances. The team finishing top at the end of the two-year cycle will be declared the winner of the ODI League.
Domestic Tournaments And Trophies
Cricket is one of the most popular sports worldwide. Even in countries with a population that isn’t predominantly Indian, cricket has become popular as a recreational sport. In India, where cricket is also the national game, it is played competitively at every level from school to professional.
Cricket has been an active part of Indian culture for many years and continues to grow even more so today. There are many domestic cricket tournaments with different levels of participation including international competitions like the World Cup and the Champions Trophy among others.
The majority are played in the traditional format of limited overs cricket and some of these competitions also have some sort of trophy connected to them, again usually either a cup or plate.
Here we will talk about some of the famous domestic cricket tournaments in India and their respective trophies.
The Duleep Trophy
The Duleep Trophy is an Indian domestic cricket tournament played between teams of Indian domestic cricketers. The tournament is named after the former cricketer Duleepsinhji.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India established this league in 1962. Along with Ranji and Irani, this tournament has contributed to maintaining the activity of cricket on domestic grounds over the past forty years while also raising the levels of domestic cricket. Its primary goal of facilitating a thorough evaluation of the Indian players by enabling their participation in prestigious domestic competitions has been fully achieved.
West Zone won the inaugural Duleep Trophy competition by defeating South Zone in the championship match by a margin of 10 wickets. With 17 titles to their name, the North Zone is now the Duleep Trophy’s most successful squad.
The Duleep Trophy is one of the most important tournaments of the domestic season. It is one of the few tournaments which is played with an almost constant flow of results, unlike the Ranji Trophy where results are less consistent. Moreover, the tournament is played at the end of the season, providing a conclusion to the domestic season.
The Irani Cup
The Irani Cup is a domestic cricket tournament that takes place between the Ranji Trophy champions and the Irani Trophy champions every year. The country’s first recognized domestic cricket competition, the Ranji, debuted during the 1934–1935 season.
After the Ranji Trophy competition had run for 25 years and attracted a large number of players, the BCCI committee decided to launch a new domestic event to commemorate its silver jubilee. The Irani Trophy was established by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 1959–60 and is named after the late Z.R. Irani, who was involved with the organization from its founding in 1928 until his death in 1970.
The Irani Trophy is one of the most significant and well-known cricket competitions in domestic sports. The game’s sharp observers are anticipating it. As this competition frequently serves as a form of selection trial to choose the Indian squad for international tours, very gifted players compete in the game, and the display of talent is spectacular.
The Deodhar Trophy
The Deodhar Trophy, which was introduced in the 1973–74 season, is the Ranji Trophy’s one-day counterpart in Indian domestic cricket. The Deodhar Trophy is a league-based competition between the five zonal teams from the North, South, East, West, and Central Zones. It is named after the late Prof. D. B. Deodhar, the grand old man of Indian cricket.
The country’s inaugural one-day match was a contest between South Zone and East Zone for the Deodhar Trophy, with South Zone winning by 6 wickets.
The game’s performance is evaluated only on a point system. The team receives points in line with the points indicated against each scenario, such as four points for a convincing victory and two points for a blank test.
The terms “bonus point” and “bonus conceded” are also used in the game. The only factor used to determine a team’s position in the game is the total number of points earned. The winning team in the competition is the one with the most points.
The Indian Premier League (IPL)
The Indian Premier League is a domestic cricket tournament in India. It has been in existence since 2008 and is contested by several Indian and International cricket teams. The tournament is played in a round-robin format and is played in several Indian cities and stadiums.
The tournament is played between April and May and has a total of 60 matches. The competition is played between ten teams and is owned by the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) and Twenty-20 Cricket Holdings, an American-based company. The team finishing at the top of the league is awarded the championship trophy.
The Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy is the premier domestic cricket tournament in India. The Ranji Trophy is India’s inaugural domestic first-class cricket competition involving various city and state teams. The format is extremely reminiscent of the English County Championship.
The inaugural Ranji Trophy was held in 1934–1935. At the time, it was believed to be called The Cricket Championship of India. After Sir Ranjitsinghji Vibhaji of Nawanagar, who had the honor of representing England in test cricket and is widely considered one of the greatest batters the game has ever seen, the name Ranji was maintained, nevertheless.
Conclusion
Cricket is a game where the fans are as passionate and crazy about their team as the players on the field. They love the game, follow it religiously, and can rattle off the stats of their favorite players and teams with ease.
And that’s because cricket has many different tournaments played all year round. From domestic leagues to international competitions, there’s always a match going on somewhere.