IPL 2023: Equivalents of Indian teams in Big Bash League

IPL Trophy and BBL Logo (PhotoSource: Twitter)

Cricket is a common language spoken across the world which is tesified by the multiple T20 leagues played in different countries. Two of the most famous leagues are the Indian Premier League (IPL) played in India, and Big Bash League (BBL), its Australian counterpart.

Both leagues have witnessed some of the best players in the world coming together to celebrate the extravaganza of cricket. The two leagues are popular among the masses even beyond India and Australia and have always seen jam-packed stadia with crowd drawn from all across the globe.

In this article, let’s take a look at the BBL equivalents of the current IPL teams:

To draw a trans-continental  interlink, we brainstorm to plot a comparison between BBL franchises and IPL teams that participated in the previous year’s competition. The two new IPL teams, Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans have not featured in this list since the BBL comprises of only eight teams and it was thus required to make two omissions from the 10-team IPL. To do so, only those IPL teams have been considered who have played atleast 100 matches.

Mumbai Indians (MI) – Perth Scorchers

Often considered to be two of the best T20 franchises in the world, both Indians and Scorchers have been top-tier teams of their respective leagues. The two teams also enjoy immense fan popularity for their consistent performances.

The biggest similarity between MI and Perth Scorchers is that they have won five trophies each in their respective T20 leagues. Scorchers recently equated Mumbai’s tally when they defeated Brisbane Heat to win their fifth BBL championship. MI’s five wins came in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020 whereas Scorchers won the BBL in 2013/14, 2014/15, 2016/17, 2021/22, and 2022/23.

Mumbai Indians and Perth Scorchers are among the teams that have participated in every edition of the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash League, respectively. While both sides are five-time champions now, they suffered a defeat in their first-ever match, that too on their home ground. MI lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2008 at the Wankhede Stadium whereas Perth lost against Hobart Hurricanes in BBL 2011/12 at the WACA Ground.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK)  – Sydney Sixers

Sydney Sixers and Chennai Super Kings have always been two of the toughest teams across the T20 realm. Both the teams are high-spirited and often pose a danger to oppositions. Both CSK and Sixers are known in their respective leagues for iconic rivalries. Sixers-Scorchers rivalry is as big and iconic as MI-CSK.

Arguably the most consistent IPL franchise ever, Chennai Super Kings have been led by MS Dhoni to four titles, and have only finished below fourth place twice. Super Kings have reached the knockouts in 11 of their 13 seasons.

One of the most successful teams in the Big Bash history, the Sixers team have featured in six of the twelve final encounters, taking home the inaugural title in BBL 01 and then consecutively in BBL 09 and BBL 10.  In WBBL, the Sixers have played five out of eight finals, winning the trophy twice in 2016-17 and 2017-18.  

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) – Brisbane Heat

Kolkata Knight Riders is analogous to Brisbane Heat. These two equals are two of the most unpredicatable franchises in their respective leagues. Both the teams also enjoy tremendous fanbases, two of the strongest in the entire world.

One of the three teams to have won more than one IPL title, KKR are owned by actors Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla. KKR’s two titles in three years remain their zenith. The first win, in 2012, was a turning point, given how poorly the team had fared in the first four seasons. The second win in 2014, which came after successfully chasing 200 against Kings XI Punjab, gave a legendary status to that year’s squad.

Brisbane Heat won their first and only BBL title till date by defeating Perth Scorchers at the WACA, in the second season of BBL. They had made it to the semifinal after finishing fourth in the table with 4 wins from 8 games. In the semifinal, they defeated Melbourne Renegades by 15 runs to meet Scorchers in the final.

Delhi Capitals (DC) – Melbourne Renegades

DC vs Melbourne Renegades (Photo by IPLT20/Photo by Jonathan DiMaggio/Getty Images)

They are considered to be the teams who had a poor history, but suddenly seemed to have found their mojo. They rose like phoenix in their respective leagues. DC jumped from the bottom (which was their place for years) to reach the playoffs in 2019. Renegades did the same and won the cup in the same year.

Delhi Capitals (earlier Daredevils) stumbled in the semi-finals in the first two seasons, and in the playoffs in 2012 and 2019. They made it to the titular encounter for the first time in 2020, where they lost to Mumbai Indians. They made it almost as far in 2021 too, topping the table in the league stage, but then lost both their playoffs to crash out.

Melbourne Renegades had finished in the bottom four in 5 out of the first 7 seasons, before they came of age to lift the trophy for the first and the only time in 2018-19.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) – Melbourne Stars

Both RCB and Melbourne Stars have had a decent run in the league stages, qualifying more often than not, but eventually crashing out in the playoffs. This has almost become the template for both the teams, so much so that they have come to be dubbed as ‘chokers’. Both these equivalents have strangely not yet been able to do justice to the amount of talent they possess within their folds.

High on the popularity charts but with nothing to show for it in their trophy cabinet, Royal Challengers Bangalore have been runners-up three times. The team was branded as a Test XI in 2008 when they went big on players with experience, expecting them to adjust quickly to T20s. This clearly didn’t work in their favour as RCB managed to cobble together just four wins that year. In the next three seasons, however, they turned things around with two runners-up finishes.

Just like RCB, Stars, too, have featured in three finals but have failed to lift the trophy each time. The Melbourne Stars have been loved, loathed and laughed at throughout their existence. A decade into their existence, the men in green boast a catalogue of famous moments, great players and excellent home and away seasons. Undoubtedly, the franchise failed to rise up to the occassion at times when it mattered the most.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) – Adelaide Strikers

A resemblance between both these teams can be seen in the rising bar of their performance. Both SRH and Adelaide were considered underdogs in their respective leagues when they started, but gradually over the seasons, they have improved to come to the top. They are now among the best teams of their leagues.

Sunrisers Hyderabad made their IPL debut in 2013. Sunrisers Hyderabad reached their zenith in 2016 when they were crowned champions after defeating RCB in the final and ending the season with 11 wins.

The Adelaide Strikers came into being in the year 2011, alongwith the inception of BBL. One of the most important dates on the Strikers’ calendar is the New Year’s Eve, a night that has seen Adelaide Oval play host to a raucous party atmosphere, since 2013. In this marquee game of every BBL season, the Strikers have a record of winning a remarkable six clashes out of ten.

Punjab Kings (PBKS) – Sydney Thunder

Punjab Kings resemble their BBL equivalents Sydney Thunder because they always boast of great hitters, but fail to live up to the expectations. They have been great starters to their leagues but equally poor finishers. While both the teams have always seemed to have sure shot chances of breaking into the knockouts, they have historically lost tracks mid-way to block their playoff path.

Punjab Kings (previously Kings XI Punjab) were bought for ₹ 304 crore in 2008 by Mohit Burman, Ness Wadia, Preity Zinta and Karan Paul. They had a promising start in the first season, but haven’t enjoyed consistent success, lacking a stable core.

Thunders, however, had their share of victory in the 2015-16 season of BBL, where they defeated Melbourne Stars by 6 wickets in the final to claim their first title. However, Sydney Thunder haven’t been consistent ever since their maiden title win.

Rajasthan Royals (RR) – Hobart Hurricanes

Both Rajasthan Royals and Hobart Hurricanes share a common factor. They started off their career well only to sink down and never recover, to the extent of almost being written off for any quality competition. Once in a while they come up but that is all. However, Rajasthan Royals, lately, seems to having a revival.

The team that attracted the smallest bid when the IPL franchises were first sold, Rajasthan Royals emerged unlikely champions in the first season. Since then they have blown hot and cold, reaching the playoffs four times and finishing sixth or below, seven times. However, they turned up to be the runners-up in the 2022 season with a brilliant performance throughout the season.

Hobart Hurricanes have made it to the finals two times, in 2013-14 and 2017-18, but have finished in the bottom four six times. The Hobart Hurricanes made a bright start to the inaugural BBL season in 2011/12, winning their first game at the WACA ground against the Perth Scorchers.

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