The Most Anticipated Cricket Tournaments of 2023-A Preview

Cricket ranks second in terms of popularity globally after football. Tracing its origins to England and spreading across countries that came under colonial rule initially, the game found wide-spread acceptance amongst local folk in countries like India, Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. While there are only a handful of test playing nations, the ODIs and the newest version of T20 are now spreading across the globe.

While most of the cricketing calendar is restricted to bilateral tours between the major test-playing nations, there are some leading cricket tournaments that are played every year that become a treat for the cricket lovers globally. 2023 happens to be a year that is full of many such tournaments.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

Cricket started to be played as a multi-nation tournament with the first Cricket World Cup in England played in 1975. Held every four years, this is a showcase tournament for global cricket lovers. This is an event that has been dominated by Australia, who has won the tournament a whooping 5 times out of the 12 editions that has been organised till date. But defending champions England and India, the first time exclusive host for this tournament being held in October and November 2023; the current edition promises to be a rollercoaster ride.

Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023

The Indian Premier League, launched in 2008, has become the most popular, lucrative and richest cricket league across the globe, has just started its 16th edition a week back. It has already started hooking viewers with enthralling cricketing action over the last few days. With a huge international player participation, this is a camaraderie event wherein players from different countries combine together for their respective franchisees to match their crafts and win. Teams like Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore have all become brands with brand ambassadors and fans vying to outdo each other in off-field activities as well. With the number of teams being increased to 10 from 8 since 2022, the competition has become even more intense and pulsating, fully satisfying viewers across the globe.

ICC Test Championship 2023

The ICC took a strong stance a few years back to revive the declining interest for the purest form of cricket, Test Matches. With T20s and ODIs being more viewer friendly, the Test Matches were suffering from a lack of viewership and intensity towards playing this game was witnessing a drop, even among the players that were lured by the riches of the premier T20 leagues across the globe. This tournament is played over a ranking system of bilateral test matches and the top two teams at the end of the calendar cycle play in the finals. New Zealand won the inaugural ICC Test Championship in 2021 defeating India in the final and the 2023 edition sees India make another attempt to lift the trophy as they face Australia in the final. It is expected to be a tantalising contest spread over 5 days, with England again hosting the finals.

Asia Cup 2023

Starting off as a 50-over tournament, the Asia Cup modified itself to the T20 pattern from the last few editions. This has been a bi-annual tournament featuring the leading cricket teams of Asia including powerhouse India, defending champions Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Pakistan is supposed to host the 2023 edition and this is something that is not acceptable to India, as they are reluctant to send their team to that country owing to the bilateral political tensions that exist between the two countries. Cricket fans are hoping for an amicable solution to this issue so that they can enjoy some enthralling cricket action.

The Ashes 2023

In 1877 started a rivalry between the two oldest cricket nations Australia and England. The rivalry got named The Ashes after an underwhelming visit of the English to Australian shores, where they were decimated by the hosts. Every two years, one of the countries is hosted by the other and pulsating Test Cricket is witnessed over a five-match series. This time it is the turn of Australia to visit the English shores and some quality cricket with pulsating moments is definitely going to be seen.

With many tournaments and bilateral events planned throughout the year, 2023 is expected to be an exciting year of cricket. From the ICC Cricket World Cup right up to the Ashes including some of the lucrative T20 leagues in between, cricket fans can expect to watch some of the world's top sides competing for prized prizes. Therefore, it is time for making those calendar entries as a cricket lover and enjoy the pulsating action.