by Cricket is one of those sports that have been evolving in the last two decades to such a degree that for many analysts, the whole cricket game is undergoing radical transformation not just evolution.
With the launch of Twenty20 back in 2003, cricket was re-introduced to its hard-core fans and was effectively presented to new audiences that were largely indifferent to the long-lasting cricket games, up to that point at least. The T20 format was a breakthrough, shorter, and faster-paced version of the sport and this was just enough to boost its popularity, revitalize spectators’ interest, and re-establish it in the top lists of the best online cricket betting sites in India.
Test cricket and ODI cricket are still loved by the more die-hard fans of the game. Those who have a greater appreciation of the traditional underpinning of cricket, its history and roots as well as its values. But from several other perspectives, Test and ODI matches don’t actually leverage the full potential of cricket.
For some fans, Test and ODI cricket has little interest outside the international competition, for other fans these formats get to be somehow boring to follow -especially as they tend to last really long- and still, for others, they are only representing the retained glory of a sport that is slowly decaying.
Twenty20 cricket was able to overcome the ‘weak’ aspects of international cricketing. With the birth of a new format that would involve domestic teams competing in a league-based style of cricket on the one hand and with the development of a much shorter, more condensed, and dynamic version of the game on the other hand, T20 was the answer that the ICC hoped for in pushing the sport at the global level.
A new format that was able to re-energize the fans’ interest, capture new fans and new spectators, and re-introduce cricket to global audiences. This new format had the potential to reach widespread popularity and gain worldwide appeal.
The IPL’s contribution to the massive success of Twenty20 was pivotal. And just like that T20 cricket started being followed and watched by billions of people across the world, slowly growing to become something like the infamous football, which is one of the most popular sports on this planet.
However, it appears that the transition to a shorter version and more dynamic cricket has not been finalized with the launch of Twenty20. T10 cricket has made its way to the hearts of fans and it has been receiving much attention from audiences. T10 cricket is an even shorter version compared to T20 and it has been booming lately.
T10 is the format born in 2017 and played in the United Arab Emirates with the Abu Dhabi T10 league. The success of the T10 league these six years has proven that it doesn’t only represent another breakthrough evolution of the sport, but a new format that is about to take over fans and audiences all around the world.
It is even more dynamic, ever quicker, and even more captivating than Twenty20, especially as it almost cuts in half the time of a match (T10 matches last approximately 90 minutes, which is almost half of the three-and-a-half hours required for Twenty20 cricket) and it showcases cricketing styles, abilities, and competencies that are much more demanding than the those in T20 matches.
The greater speed and the less time are both factors that require a new kind of cricket to be played. Cricket that involves younger players, who have greater physical endurance and strength as well as cricket that involves faster players, with unique skills in batting and bowling, which are to bring them to the forefront of victory.
Cricket gets to be more interesting and more thrilling for those who believe that T20 is still a long-lasting format -of course, it’s nothing compared to Test cricket -but still, it’s not that easy to remain invested for more than three hours. What’s more to that, T10 comes one step closer to resembling football leagues and the reason behind their incredible popularity.
The T10 format has been approved by the ICC, however it’s not among the formal cricket formats yet. Some believe that T10 holds the future of the sport because it combines the two things that have the potential to boost its popularity: the essence of cricket and the fast format of league-style sports.
