Top 5 Countries Where Cricket Is Popular

Cricket is played all over the world, but there are a handful of countries where this age-old sport is especially popular.  

Most of the countries where cricket is really popular are part of the Commonwealth of Nations and have been introduced to the sport of cricket through their association (*cough" colonisation) by the British Empire from the 18th to the 20th centuries.

Today, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is the main international governing body of cricket. It has 12 full member countries and 104 associate member countries.

Among the 12 full member countries, we find a handful of countries that are especially fervent in their admiration of cricket, and these are the countries we will take a closer look at in this article.

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India

India is most certainly the biggest cricket country of the 21st century by population. 

When the Indian national team plays an important match against the rivals from Pakistan, hundreds of millions of people tune in to watch the games. The same is true when the highly popular domestic tournament IPL is played. 

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the most high-profile cricket league. It attracts several hundred million viewers every single week and is the most watched cricket league on TV anywhere in the world.  

According to the Federation of International Cricket Associations (FICA), India has the biggest number of professional cricketers, with a number as high as 1031. This fascination with the sport also explains why India has the highest number of cricket betting sites per capita.

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Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, a one-time cricket World Cup winner and a full member of the ICC, is one of the countries where cricket is the most popular. 

Although cricket is not the national sport in Sri Lanka, it is certainly the most popular sport in the country and is played both as a professional and recreational sport. 

The Lanka Premier League commands the highest viewership among cricket fans in Sri Lanka, where players like Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Matthews are always sure to attract viewers due to their entertaining on-pitch performances.

Even though Sri Lanka isn't currently doing so well in cricket, they most certainly had their glory days. 

The Sri Lankan national cricket team was immensely strong in the 1990's which culminated with a world cup victory for the team in 1996. 

During this period especially, the Sri Lankan national cricket team became a national treasure which still holds true to this day - although the Sri Lankan team isn't currently as strong as it once was, their fanbase is still as loyal as ever.

New Zealand

In New Zealand, cricket is the second most popular sport played in summer after rugby. 

With over 200 professional players, the small island nation is a force to be reckoned with in international test cricket. 

They have won countless tournaments through the years, including the inaugural World Test Championship. 

They have done so amazingly well that they have managed to be part of the final three in the last four ICC competitions.

Dream11 Super Smash, the most popular men's cricket league in New Zealand, has received sponsorship until 2026. Yes, that's how much cricket is loved in NZ.  

Actually, cricket is so loved in New Zealand that the country has one of the highest viewership per capita rates in the world.

Between 1 and 1.5 million Kiwis tune in to watch when the New Zealand national team is playing a big T20 match or when the biggest domestic cricket tournament is being played. That is an impressive number of viewers in a country of just 5 million inhabitants.

Australia

Australia is one of the oldest cricket countries in the world. Australia played their first cricket match in 1851 against England, although there were cricket clubs in the country as early as 1826. 

Since then, cricket has become Australia's most popular summer sport and the third most popular sport in the country. Due to the game's popularity, Australia has been an active contributor to the International Cricket Council.

Cricket matches in Australia have impressively high attendance and viewership, with the most anticipated league being the Big Bash League (BBL). The league attracts nearly 500,000 physical attendees on Australian stadiums through a single season.

The Australian national team hasn't disappointed their fans either, they have successfully dominated test cricket matches for the past few decades. They are on record for having the highest percentage of matches won.

Fun fact: Australia is the only country on our list where cricket is the national sport.

England

England is the birthplace of cricket and is still one of the most popular cricket countries in the world, especially in the Yorkshire and Lancashire area. 

Cricket has, however, dropped in popularity since the days when the sport used to air on cable television and so was available to the wider public free of charge.

These days, cricket in England is mostly available through costly satellite TV subscription packages, which has added to cricket's reputation as a sport for the elite, rather than a sport for the masses.

That said, the cricket grounds in England and Wales are often full to capacity when there are international games for ODIs and T20s. This shows that the sport still enjoys a huge fanbase in the place thought to be the birthplace of cricket. 

The county champions played in the summer are the most anticipated cricket matches in England. It's not uncommon for one-day and four-day matches to run concurrently during this time with tens of thousands of physical attendees and millions of satellite TV viewers from across the world.