The Most Intense Rivalries in Cricket Leagues Worldwide

(Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni against each other in the IPL)

The term “El Clasico” first emerged from classic football rivalries, but nowadays, rivalries are found in almost every sport. When discussing the rivalries in cricket, fans always think about India against Pakistan, Australia against England, and Sri Lanka against Bangladesh. But little do the fans know about the classic rivalries in the T20 Leagues. These leagues can make the shorter format of the game even more interesting with the help of the rivalries which have developed over some time. Whether it's the Big Bash League (BBL), Indian Premier League (IPL), or Pakistan Super League (PSL), every league has its own fierce rivalry, which makes it exciting for the fans to wait. In this article, we will be looking at some El Clasico rivalries around various T20 Leagues worldwide.

1. Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings

The most iconic El Clasico for Indian cricket fans is between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. Both teams have been dominant across the history of the Indian Premier League, winning the IPL title five times. But the competition between the top champions in the Indian Premier League has always been interesting for the fans to watch. Earlier, this rivalry was well-known because the popular Indian skippers Rohit Sharma and Mahendra Singh Dhoni went against each other being the captains of their respective teams. Now, this rivalry has changed, as Hardik Pandya leads Mumbai Indians and Ruturaj Gaikwad leads Chennai Super Kings. But the El Clasico feel in this clash is never fading for the fans.

Date	Winner	Margin
23 April, 2008	Chennai Super Kings	6 Runs
14 May, 2008	Mumbai Indians	9 Wickets
18 April, 2009	Mumbai Indians	19 Runs
16 May, 2009	Chennai Super Kings	7 Wickets
25 Match, 2010	Mumbai Indians	5 Wickets
6 April, 2010	Chennai Super Kings	24 Runs
25 April, 2010	Chennai Super Kings	22 Runs
22 April, 2011	Mumbai Indians	8 Runs
4 April, 2012	Mumbai Indians	8 Wickets
6 May, 2012	Mumbai Indians	2 Wickets
23 May, 2012	Chennai Super Kings	38 Runs
6 April, 2013	Mumbai Indians	9 Runs
5 May, 2013	Mumbai Indians	60 Runs
26 May, 2013	Mumbai Indians	23 Runs
25 April, 2014	Chennai Super Kings	7 Wickets
10 May, 2014	Chennai Super Kings	4 Wickets
28 May, 2014	Chennai Super Kings	7 Wickets
17 April, 2015	Chennai Super Kings	6 Wickets
8 May, 2015	Mumbai Indians	6 Wickets
19 May, 2015	Mumbai Indians	25 Runs
24 May, 2015	Mumbai Indians	41 Runs
7 April, 2018	Chennai Super Kings	1 Wicket
28 April, 2018	Mumbai Indians	8 Wickets
3 April, 2019	Mumbai Indians	37 Runs
26 April, 2019	Mumbai Indians	46 Runs
7 May, 2019	Mumbai Indians	6 Wickets
12 May, 2019	Mumbai Indians	1 Run
19 September, 2020	Chennai Super Kings	5 Wickets
23 October, 2020	Mumbai Indians	10 Wickets
1 May, 2021	Mumbai Indians	4 Wickets
19 September, 2021	Chennai Super Kings	20 Runs
21 April, 2022	Chennai Super Kings	3 Wickets
12 May, 2022	Mumbai Indians	5 Wickets
8 April, 2023	Chennai Super Kings	7 Wickets
6 May, 2023	Chennai Super Kings	6 Wickets
14 April, 2024	Chennai Super Kings	20 Runs

(Head-to-Head match results between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings)

Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings have faced each other 37 times in the Indian Premier League, with a few times facing each other in the tournament finals. Mumbai has shown its dominance against Chennai, winning 20 matches, as their opponents have won the remaining 17 games. The rivalry started in 2008 when Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings faced each other for the very first time. Chennai Super Kings batted first in this game and scored 208 runs for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs. In turn, Mumbai Indians fell short of six runs while chasing the target, which marked the beginning of this rivalry.

(Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni in the IPL 2024 match)

There have been years when Mumbai asserted its dominance over Chennai and vice-versa. The rivalry started taking new turns when Chennai and Mumbai became the most dominant teams in the history of IPL and faced each other several times in the playoffs. Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings faced each other in the 2013 IPL final, where Mumbai won by 23 runs. Mumbai defeated Chennai yet again in the 2015 and 2019 IPL finals, dominating against Chennai Super Kings every time for the title. Chennai only won the 2010 IPL final against Mumbai Indians.

2. Sydney Sixers vs Perth Scorchers

The Big Bash League has given various intense matches to cricket fans, but the most intense rivalry has been between Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers. Perth Scorchers has been the most dominant team in the history of the Big Bash League with five title wins, while Sydney Sixers are just behind them with three title wins. It started in the year 2011-12 when players like Shaun Marsh, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Moises Henriques and several others. But now the fans are even able to see players like Laurie Evans, Daniel Hughes, Jason Behrendorff, and several others.

Date	Winner	Margin
17 January, 2012	Sydney Sixers	1 Run
27 January, 2012	Sydney Sixers	7 Wickets
15 December, 2012	Perth Scorchers	7 Wickets
9 January, 2014	Perth Scorchers	Super Over
4 February, 2014	Perth Scorchers	5 Runs
28 December, 2014	Perth Scorchers	36 Runs
27 January, 2015	Perth Scorchers	4 Wickets
1 January, 2016	Perth Scorchers	9 Wickets
26 December, 2016	Sydney Sixers	6 Wickets
27 January, 2017	Perth Scorchers	9 Wickets
23 December, 2017	Perth Scorchers	6 Wickets
1 January, 2018	Perth Scorchers	6 Wickets
22 December, 2018	Sydney Sixers	17 Runs
13 January, 2019	Perth Scorchers	7 Wickets
18 December, 2019	Sydney Sixers	8 Wickets
26 December, 2019	Sydney Sixers	48 Runs
6 January, 2021	Perth Scorchers	86 Runs
16 January, 2021	Sydney Sixers	7 Wickets
30 January, 2021	Sydney Sixers	9 Wickets
6 February, 2021	Sydney Sixers	27 Runs
4 January, 2022	Perth Scorchers	10 Runs
9 January, 2022	Perth Scorchers	7 Wickets
22 January, 2022	Perth Scorchers	48 Runs
28 January, 2022	Perth Scorchers	79 Runs
17 December, 2022	Perth Scorchers	38 Runs
15 January, 2023	Sydney Sixers	6 Runs
28 January, 2023	Perth Scorchers	7 Wickets
16 January, 2024	Sydney Sixers	3 Wickets

(Head-to-Head match results between Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers)

The first match between Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and Sydney Sixers won the closely contested game by just a margin of 1 run. Mitchell Starc was the Player of the Match in this game, taking 3 crucial wickets for Sydney Sixers and taking the team to victory. But since then, Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers have been fierce rivals in the Big Bash League. They have faced each other 28 times in the tournament's history, of which Perth Scorchers has been dominant with 17 wins. The Sydney Sixers have won the remaining 11 matches.

(Sydney Sixers vs Perth Scorchers in BBL 2021 edition)

Sydney Sixers also won the last encounter against Perth Scorchers, being played at the Perth Stadium. This was another interesting match between these two teams, as Perth Scorchers batted first to set a massive total of 198 runs for Sydney Sixers to chase. Fortunately, Sydney Sixers were able to chase the score at the last ball, winning the game by 3 wickets and 0 balls remaining. Moises Henriques, the captain of Sydney Sixers, scored the winning boundary and remained not out at 47 runs in 20 balls. Daniel Hughes was the Player of the Match, with 74 runs in 43 balls.

3. Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars

The Pakistan Super League also has its own El Clasico rivalry between Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars. The two of the most dominant teams in the history of the Pakistan Super League have been providing intense clashes to the fans since the beginning of the league. Islamabad United is the most dominant team in the Pakistan Super League, with three title wins. On the other hand, Lahore Qalandars have won the PSL two times and are looking forward to winning their third title soon.

Date	Winner	Margin
10 February, 2016	Islamabad United	8 Wickets
17 February, 2016	Islamabad United	5 Wickets
11 February, 2017	Lahore Qalandars	6 Wickets
20 February, 2018	Lahore Qalandars	1 Wicket
2 March, 2018	Islamabad United	Super Over
8 March, 2018	Islamabad United	6 Wickets
14 February, 2019	Islamabad United	5 Wickets
9 March, 2019	Islamabad United	49 Runs
23 February, 2020	Islamabad United	1 Wicket
4 March, 2020	Islamabad United	71 Runs
9 June, 2021	Lahore Qalandars	5 Wickets
13 June, 2021	Islamabad United	28 Runs
5 February, 2022	Lahore Qalandars	8 Runs
19 February, 2022	Lahore Qalandars	66 Runs
25 February, 2022	Lahore Qalandars	6 Runs
27 February, 2023	Lahore Qalandars	110 Runs
9 March, 2023	Lahore Qalandars	119 Runs
17 February, 2024	Islamabad United	8 Wickets
6 March, 2024	Lahore Qalandars	17 Runs

(Head-to-head match results between Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars)

This rivalry started in 2016, during the first PSL edition, where Islamabad United secured a win over Lahore Qalandars by 8 wickets. Till now, Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars have faced each other 19 times in the history of Pakistan Super League, of which Islamabad United has won 10 games. Lahore Qalandars have won the remaining 9 games, which shows that the contest between these two teams has been engaging for the cricket fans.

(Lahore Qalandars vs Islamabad United in PSL 2022 Eliminator)

Fans have watched various exciting innings across all matches between Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United. This includes the 115 runs inning of Fakhar Zaman and the six-wicket haul of Faheem Ashraf, who have been among the game-changing players when these teams compete against each other. Their clash started with iconic players like Shane Watson, Andre Russell, and Mohammad Rizwan, while players like Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Fakhar Zaman have carried it forward till the latest PSL editions.