Franchise T20 leagues all over the world have been at the forefront of bringing innovative ideas to cricket in order to attract more fans to the sport. One such innovative idea was witnessed at UAE’s new ILT20 league, where the top performers were awarded professional wrestling-style belts for their achievements.
The championship belt, which has been synonymous with the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), is held by the champion of a particular division. Similarly, UAE’s ILT20 has implemented the idea by giving belts to the highest run-scorer and the highest wicket-taker in the competition.
The highest run-scorer in the competition is given a green championship belt while a white championship belt is given to the highest wicket-taker. Currently, India’s Robin Uthappa holds the green belt while Afghanistan’s Mujeeb-ur-Rahman is the recipient of the white championship belt.
Furthermore, three more belts will be given at the end of the tournament. The black belt will be awarded to the owner of the winning team, the red belt will be given to the most valuable player of the tournament, and the blue belt will be awarded to UAE’s best player in the competition.
The latest innovation is inspired by the different colored caps given to top performers in leagues such as the Indian Premier League (IPL ) and the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
IPL introduced the idea in its inaugural season in 2008, where they awarded the top performers with caps for their achievements. The highest run-scorer is awarded the orange cap while the highest wicket-taker is awarded the purple cap. Similarly, PSL also adopted the idea where the best batter of the season is awarded a green cap while the best bowler is given a maroon cap.
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