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Pros and Cons of the Rise of T20 Cricket | What’s the most popular format of cricket? | Advantages and disadvantages of T20 Cricket

T20 Cricket is without any doubt the most popular form of the game in the modern era. It has grown so rapidly that every country now has its own T20 league, with the cricketing world indeed a world away from what it was 15-20 years ago.

T20 cricket’s rapid growth and the significant change in the nature of the sport has its pros and cons. Here, we will look at three pros and three cons of the growth of T20 cricket, and what this may mean for the future of the game.

Pros of the Rise of T20 Cricket:

More Opportunities for Players

The most significant advantage of T20 cricket is that players have a great platform to showcase their talent.

Players from small countries/towns get the opportunity to play with the great of the games in T20 leagues around the world, and make a name for themselves. Countless players over the years have burst onto the scene through T20 cricket.

Lagues around the globe have given us the likes of Rashid Khan, Haris Rauf, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sandeep Lamichhane, Tom Banton, Hayden Walsh Jr and many more rising stars. As a result, they have all had a taste of international cricket and have solid careers ahead of them.

Attracting Audience

T20 cricket is action-packed and has everything the audience likes. Fours and sixes, thrilling last-over finishes and fast-paced action.

As a result, T20 attracts a lot of viewership and revenue, particularly as it is an easy way to introduce new cricket fans to the sport. Most of the fans and people who’ve started watching cricket now love only T20.

The Brand Value of IPL in 2019 was a whopping $6.7billion. Star India paid $2.55 billion for the broadcasting rights only. In Australia, Cricket Australia landed a $1.2 billion TV deal in 2018, with the Big Bash League a significant reason for it.

Also, up-and-coming nations across the world are having a taste of T20 cricket. There are 86 teams in the T20I rankings, which shows that T20 plays a very vital role in making cricket a global sport.

Changed the Dynamics of the Game

T20 cricket has changed how the game is played. Due to its competitiveness and fast-paced nature, teams/franchises hire fitness trainers/coaches, scouts and statisticians to stay on top of things. Players are fitter, stronger and do unbelievable things on the field.

And to go with that, players are now getting paid more due to the sponsors and the increased viewership. They can better support themselves and their families. In fact, recently, Pat Cummins got sold for more than 2 million USD in the recent IPL auction.

Disadvantages (Cons) of Rising of T20 Cricket:

However, like two sides of a coin, the rapid growth of T20 cricket also has some disadvantages

Cricket Calendar too Packed

With every country now having its own league, the T20 carnival is going on the whole year, in conjunction with international cricket. Leagues like IPL and BBL are about two months long and players have to play continuously without any break, putting a lot of pressure on their bodies.

Cases of Mental Stress is also showing up. Administrators often see players as commodities, and fail to understand that too much cricket leads to injuries or players not able to spend time with their families.

Also, too much cricket is also not good for viewers and often leads to viewer fatigue. There is just so much for the passionate fan to try keep up with; the recent BBL09 season was a case to that.

Killing Other Forms of the Game

The rise of T20 cricket has resulted in the decline of the other two forms of the game, mainly Test cricket. Many cricket fans still consider Test cricket to be the “real cricket”. However, in recent times, Test cricket’s popularity has still decreased.

Test cricket “tests” the temperament of an individual and demands skill and patience. Now, with the plethora of T20s, a lower number of quality Test players are coming through compared to the past. Skills like reverse-swing and patient batting in challenging times are often missing in the T20 era.

Disturbing the Ethics of the Game

Too much money, glamour, and celebrities can disturb the ethics of the game. Cases of spot-fixing and the like have increased in the T20 leagues. IPL is not untouched from this as CSK & RR were suspended for two years in 2016.

Other leagues like BPL, APL and PSL are also always under threat. In fact, Bangladesh star Shakib Al Hasan was banned due to not reporting that he was being contacted by a bookie.

Money, glamour and fame in theory are fine, but the rise of T20, along with online betting, has seen it hamper the ethics of the game more so than in the past.

Also read: Online Cricket Betting Tips: Key Things to Keep in Mind

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So, what’s your view? Do you like T20 cricket over other forms of the game or do you agree with Michael Holding’s point that “T20 is not cricket”? Do leave a comment!

Thanks for reading!

Written by Robin Rounder. Follow Robin on Twitter today