The 2024 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup took place for the first time at venues across the United States. The event was also jointly hosted by the West Indies, and although the US cricket team underperformed, many expert analysts believe that it was the catalyst that will help shine a light on the sport and make it more popular in America.
With that said, let’s dive in to discover whether cricket has a future in the US and if it can be as popular as football, baseball, ice hockey, golf, NASCAR, or soccer.
How popular is cricket in the United States?
Cricket is now more popular than ever in the United States, but it still wanes in comparison to all of the other well-established sports here. According to recent statistics, the US now has around 400 cricket leagues and up to 200,000 actively play at the amateur or professional level.
Besides hosting the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup in 2024, some of the other contributing factors that are helping to grow the sport’s popularity are strategic marketing campaigns, shrew partnerships, investment and sponsorship deals, and live streaming. In-play sports betting services are also helping fuel its growth.
Since the YCA (Youth Cricket Association) was formed in the US in 20210, cricket has been introduced to countless schools, and there are now more people than ever taking up the sport or showing an interest in it. Reports recently revealed that interest in cricket in the United States has doubled in the past 24 months.
The Playground to Podium (the ICC’s game development programme) aims to develop cricket in the United States and reach up to one million children.
Immigrants to the United States who enjoy cricket have also contributed towards its growth, along with the introduction of the MLC (Major League Cricket) competition. It started in 2023 and includes six teams from six cities across the US.
Could cricket be the next big sport to take the US by storm?
There is a belief that cricket could very well be the next international sport to sweep the US, but it could take many years, and there are many hurdles to overcome.
It will mean changing the perception of the sport and using the right kind of approach from all angles to raise the profile of cricket from the grassroots level all the way up to the professional level.
There are a lot of areas that need improving, but the US men’s national cricket team performances will have caught the public’s attention, and it will hopefully be the start of a long journey ahead.
By qualifying for the Super 8s, the US national cricket team secured automatic qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup, which is a huge thing for cricket fans in the US to look forward to. Some promising young talent is coming through the ranks, and many of these individuals will be looking to play their part in taking cricket at home to the next level.
What’s the next big cricket competition for US fans to look forward to?
The top flight of men’s professional domestic cricket competitions and international events have all but ended in 2024. However, there is still the Australian Big Bash League that cricket fans in the US and across the world can look forward to.
Today, you can bet on cricket online while looking at other sports news on trusted iGaming sites, such as the official 10cricbet online sports betting and casino website. It’s classed as India’s number-one online sportsbook and is known for having highly competitive cricket betting odds.
The tournament will get underway on December 15, 2024, and the final is expected to take place on January 27, 2025.
Who will win the Big Bash League?
The quickest, easiest, and most reliable way to find out which team will most likely come out on top in the upcoming 2024/25 BBL is to look at the latest odds currently being offered by today’s most trusted iGaming operator.
For example, right now on 10cricbet, the odds-on favourite to win the BBL are the Perth Scorchers. They are currently priced at around 4.00 in decimal odds (which is +300 in American/moneyline odds and 3/1 in fractional odds).
These odds mean that the implied probability rate of them winning the competition outright is 25.00%. Let’s quickly compare these odds with the top three favourites:
Although these odds are accurate today, anything can happen between now and the start of the 2024/25 BBL competition and during the competition, meaning these odds are subject to change at any given time and without warning.
Also, the important thing to remember when betting on cricket or any other professional sporting event is that the odds-on favourites aren’t always guaranteed to win. Sometimes, the underdogs/outsiders/longshots can perform well and beat the favourites to upset the odds.
Final thoughts
The 2024 ICC T20 World Cup that was hosted at venues across the US saw up to 156,719 people turn up to watch matches in New York, which was extremely promising for the sport. Over the coming years, domestic cricket in the US is expected to spread to other cities, and the league is also expected to expand to add more teams.
However, only six overseas players are allowed to play in each starting XI, which could hamper growth. Others say that his rule could be seen as a positive and will no doubt help nurture homegrown talent. Whether cricket can become the next biggest sport here remains to be seen.
If you enjoy playing cricket or watching the world’s most popular fixtures and decide to place a wager on any of those upcoming events, always stick to betting on fully licensed and regulated sites and avoid betting on untrustworthy iGaming sites that are unlicensed and unregulated.
To give your wagers a much better chance of winning, stay on top of the latest cricket news and arm yourself with as many useful statistics as possible. Doing so can help you place more informed cricket bets.
