The European cricket fans have something to watch now. Since the inception of the European Cricket Network, they have started multiple initiatives. ECL is also one of them. The European Cricket Competition 2023 is a competitive T10 cricket championship in which European cricket teams compete. It was founded to develop and popularize cricket in European countries.
The tournament is contested in a T10 style amongst teams from all over Europe that have won local championships in their respective nations.
We will discuss all the relevant details about this league with you. Cricket sure is a magnificent and entertaining sport. And it would be even more fun if we could share it with the world. Keeping that in mind, ECN has done a great job.
European Cricket League 2023
The ECL has had two seasons, the first of which was in 2019. The first tournament was won by VOC Rotterdam, whereas the most current winners are Pak I Care Badalona. The second edition, held in 2022, had 30 clubs.
Daniel Weston launched the competition in 2018, with eight recognized ICC member coalitions on the panel for the inaugural competition in 2019. Since that day, event organizers have extended the number of federations and countries qualifying for future events. The season was supposed to be hosted by the La Manga Club in Spain, with 16 teams. However, it was suspended due to COVID-19. The same thing happened.
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| Establishment | 2019 |
| Governing body | ECN |
| Format | T10 |
| Torunament formatting | Group stages and then knockouts |
| Number of teams | 30 |
| Defending Champions | Pak I Care Badalona |
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Bet2Ball has been revealed as the Official Partner, with Cryptocurrency Kiba Inu financing all 30 sides’ kits.
ECL23 draws
For the current ECL season, draws were held for group stages on 14 January 2023. Thirty teams were divided into 6 groups, each group having 5 teams. The tournament will start on 27 February 2023 and end on 24 March. The schedule, along with the groups, is given below.
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| Teams | Start date | End date |
| Group A | ||
| Hornchurch – England | Monday, February 27, 2023 | Wednesday, March 1, 2023 |
| Byron – Greece | ||
| Independents CC – Guernsey | ||
| Tallinn Stallions – Estonia | ||
| Darmstadt CC – Germany | ||
| Group B | ||
| V.O.C. Rotterdam – Netherlands | Thursday, March 2, 2023 | Saturday, March 4, 2023 |
| Farmers – Jersey | ||
| Svanholm – Denmark | ||
| American University of Malta – Malta | ||
| Indo-Bulgarian – Bulgaria | ||
| Group C | ||
| Fossum – Norway | Monday, March 6, 2023 | Wednesday, March 8, 2023 |
| Lathbury Lightning – Gibraltar | ||
| Olten – Switzerland | ||
| Royal Tigers Budapest – Hungary | ||
| Beveren – Belgium | ||
| Group D | ||
| Vienna CC – Austria | Thursday, March 9, 2023 | Saturday, March 11, 2023 |
| Dreux – France | ||
| Forfarshire – Scotland | ||
| Brno – Czech Republic | ||
| Helsinki Titans – Finland | ||
| Group E | ||
| United CC Bucharest – Romania | Monday, March 13, 2023 | Wednesday, March 15, 2023 |
| Star CC – Luxembourg | ||
| Zagreb Sokol – Croatia | ||
| Roma CC – Italy | ||
| Badalona Shaheen – Spain | ||
| Group F | ||
| Ariana KIF – Sweden | Thursday, March 16, 2023 | Saturday, March 18, 2023 |
| CIYMS – Ireland | ||
| Istanbul KSK – Turkey | ||
| Punjab Lions Nicosia – Cyprus | ||
| Oeiras – Portugal | ||
| Championship round | ||
| Pak I Care Badalona | Monday, March 20, 2023 | Friday, March 24, 2023 |
| Group A winner | ||
| Winner of Group B | ||
| Group C | ||
| Winner of Group D | ||
| Group E | ||
| Winner of Group F | ||
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European Cricket League Statistics
We are talking about cricket here. We must discuss some statistics too. With more than 20 teams in just 2 seasons of ECL, there are a lot of interesting stats that we can see. Let’s look at how bombastic these T10 stats look. I cannot wait to see the monstrous strike rates. RIP the bowlers.
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| Highest score in an inning by a player | Scott Edwards from VOC Rotterdam – 137* |
| Most runs by a batsman | Chris Williams from Tunbridge Wells – 477 |
| Best strike rate | Corey Rutgers from VOC Rotterdam – 414 |
| The best bowling figures by a bowler in an innings | Faseh Ch form Alby Zalmi – 5/30 |
| Most wickets | Mohammad Babar from Pak I Care Badalona – 23 |
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That is some strike rate from Chris. No solace for the bowlers!
Conclusion
ECL is a great initiative by ECN. We all want to globalize this game and see it on a level that football or soccer has achieved worldwide. But that cannot happen if some teams monopolize the game instead of spreading it. These measures open gateways for more nations to take an interest in the sport. We are still a long way ahead, and these things need a lot of money for investment. But let’s see how all of this plays out in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
How do you get selected for the European Cricket League?
You must live in Europe and play games on a cricket team. That team has to win the domestic league to play ECL.
What is Euro T10 cricket?
ECL is a cricket league with a T10 format. Such short formats are the best for popularizing the game.
Which is the best cricket team in Europe?
Pak I Care Badalona is the defending champion this year. So they are the best team.
Is the European cricket league professional?
Yes, it is a pro league.
Which countries play cricket in Europe?
Almost 30 countries play cricket in the European Cricket League.
Is T10 approved by ICC?
Yes, the tournament is approved by the ICC.