International League (IL) T20, under the umbrella of Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), has claimed to be the second most-viewed franchise tournament globally.
Taking to Twitter today, ILT20 shared the numbers of their viewership during the inaugural edition this year.
According to the numbers, over 367 million people watched the first edition globally. In India, ILT20 managed to gather 255.4 million viewers, making it the second most-watched league in the country after the Indian Premier League (IPL).
ILT20 was launched last year and was claimed to be one of the richest leagues after the IPL. The league has a huge investment from India.
Then-PCB chairman Ramiz Raja didn't allow Pakistani players to participate in the event. Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan were offered a whopping USD 900,000 alongside a three-year captaincy contract. However, Raja wasn't interested in sending the players to ILT20. Instead, he asked compensation from the ECB in exchange for releasing their players.
Apart from Babar, Shaheen, and Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Hasnain were also in demand for the league. Later on, wicketkeeper batter Azam Khan was picked by Desert Vipers but he didn't get No-Objection Certificate (NOC).
Dubai Capitals, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, MI Emirates, Sharjah Warriors Gulf Giants, and Desert Vipers competed in the inaugural edition of the ILT20. Giants, under the leadership of Colin Munro, beat Vipers in the final to lift the trophy on February 12 this year.