Cricket is probably the most popular, most viewed sport in India. Aside from IPL cricket games, you can watch other big tournaments for cricket betting in India at the best online gaming websites. Cricket is so beloved in India that there are a number of tournaments big and small held every year. Of course, some tournaments have higher stakes than others. Here are some of the biggest cricket tournaments in India to watch out for.
Cricket, devised by the English during the 16th century, was introduced to India as one of the British Empire’s major colonies in Asia until 1947. The first officially recorded cricket game in the country was in 1721. From then on, the game began to evolve and become more widespread in the country. It eventually came to adapt its own Indian spin and identity. India’s first official cricket team was formed in 1848, and it was called the Oriental Cricket Club or OCC and had origins in Mumbai’s Parsi community.
India was first granted a test match status in 1932. During this time, they played against England’s international team at Lord’s, even traveling as far as London to play with a global audience. After their triumph, the country began to expand its own local competitions to encourage the sport to flourish domestically. More and more teams and players were added to the local roster, and Indian cricket became the sports giant that it is today.
IPL Cricket (Indian Premier League)
The Indian Premier League, a professional Twenty20 cricket league, is the most viewed and attended cricket league all over the world. In 2014 it was sixth place in terms of average attendance among all sports leagues. The Indian Premier League became the first sport in the world to have a live broadcast on YouTube in 2010.
The tournament is played between March and May by eight teams who represent the eight different cities in India. The league was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India and has its own exclusive window in ICC Future Tours Programme.
Ranji Trophy
This is the biggest local tournament that happens in India annually. It is a first-class local homegrown tournament that matches up both the regional as well as state cricket associations. A total of 38 cricket teams play the tournament. This includes teams who represent the 28 state associations and 4 union territories. The tournament’s origins go way back. It was named after the former Indian international cricket star Ranjith Singhji and was first conducted in 1934. The Mumbai cricket association is currently in possession of the most Ranji Trophy titles, with 41 trophies displayed in their cabinet.
Duleep Trophy
The Duleep Trophy is another first-class domestic championship and was formerly played between various geographical zones in India. However, after the season of 2015 to 2016, the teams in the tournament began to undergo a more prestigious vetting process and were handpicked by the BCCI panel. The current defending champions of the Duleep Trophy are the members of India Red. The first Duleep Trophy tournament was played in 1961.
Vijay Hazare Trophy
This tournament is highly exclusive. The teams who play within the Ranji Trophy are the Vijay Hazare Trophy’s participants. The tournament started in 2003 and uses a Round Robin and Playoff tournament format. The most successful team in the history of the Vijay Hazare Trophy is Tamil Nadu, with a total of 5 titles under their belt so far.
Deodhar Trophy
This A List cricket tournament was named after D.B. Deodhar, who is known as Indian cricket’s grand old man. This is a 50-over tournament that uses a knockout pattern format. The teams who compete against each other are three Indian national teams divided into India A, India B, and India C. The first edition of the Deodhar Trophy tournament took place in 1973.
Irani Cup
The Irani Cup began during the season of 1959 to 1960, with the intent of celebrating the 25 years of success of the Ranji Trophy. The Irani Cup later came to be considered a sort of qualification in order to play in the Ranji trophies. This tournament matches up the defending champions of the Ranji Trophy against the rest of the Indian team. It is played annually.