The American Premiere League (APL) is a

Twenty20 Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single innin ...

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

league based in the United States. The first league was scheduled to take place between October 6 and October 24, 2009, which was later postponed. The management revamped the brand in 2020 and went through the official launch during the spring of 2021. The teams were named after cricket spectators spread across the United States i.e. Indians, Paks, Windies, Bengalees, Aussies, English, and Americans.

History

In 2009 APL announced an imminent three-year deal with

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

club the

Staten Island Yankees The Staten Island Yankees were a minor league baseball team located in the New York City borough of Staten Island from 1999 to 2020. Nicknamed the "Baby Bombers", the Yankees were the Class A Short Season affiliate of the New York Yankees and pla ...

who own the venue. The league had planned to play twice a year at

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

Richmond County Bank Ballpark The Staten Island University Hospital, Community Park (SIUH Community Park) is a baseball stadium located on the north-eastern tip of Staten Island. The ballpark is the home of the Staten Island FerryHawks, a member of the Atlantic League of P ...

. Besides renowned staff and players, six teams were expected to take part in the first event: Premium Pakistan, Premium India, Premium Bengal, Premium West Indies, Premium World and Premium America, but the event did not materialise.Inzamam courted by American Premiere League
''Cricinfo.com'', March 26, 2009 In 2009 the ICC announced support for the creation of a Twenty20 cricket competition in the US to compete against the APL, and in December 2010 the board of the

United States of America Cricket Association The United States of America Cricket Association (USACA), headquartered at Miami Beach, was the national governing body for all cricket in the United States, until it was replaced by USA Cricket in 2019. The board was formed in 1965. USACA w ...

that it had signed a $10 million deal with

New Zealand Cricket New Zealand Cricket, formerly the New Zealand Cricket Council, is the governing body for professional cricket in New Zealand. Cricket is the most popular and highest profile summer sport in New Zealand. New Zealand Cricket operates the New Z ...

and other investors as stakeholders, creating a new body called

Cricket Holdings America The United States of America Cricket Association (USACA), headquartered at Miami Beach, was the national governing body for all cricket in the United States, until it was replaced by USA Cricket in 2019. The board was formed in 1965. USACA wa ...

to manage all commercial rights for cricket in USA, including Twenty20 rights, in perpetuity. No American Premiere League matches were played in 2010. In 2011 no further matches were announced and the venture appeared defunct.

Controversy

The American Premiere League established contact with the USA Cricket Association but had not submitted a formal approval.Rebel ICL players heading to American Premier League
''DAWN.com'', 24 April 2009 In 2009 the

International Cricket Council The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are List of International Cricket Council members, 108 national associations, with 12 List of Internation ...

(ICC) halt national players to participate until further release instructions and approval.ICC warns players against joining American Premiere League
''Sindh Today'', April 25, 2009

Revamped

American Premiere League's Inaugural season was initially scheduled for Spring of 2020, but was postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. On February 15, 2021, the CEO of APL, Jay Mir, signed an exclusive multi-year contract with the Minor League Baseball team, The Jersey Jackals. This contract was to host the American Premiere League at the

Yogi Berra Stadium Yogi Berra Stadium is a baseball stadium in Little Falls, New Jersey, on the campus of Montclair State University. The stadium is home to the Montclair State Red Hawks baseball team, which competes in NCAA Division III; and the Yogi Berra Museum ...

Little Falls, New Jersey Little Falls is a township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The township was named for a waterfall on the Passaic River at a dam near Beattie Mill. As of the 2020 census, the township's population was 13,360 reflecting a decrea ...

. On March 15, 2021, the American Premiere League was officially launched at a dinner party in Montclair, New Jersey. Following the announcement, the American Premiere League sold all seven teams to various entrepreneurs.

Tournament Format

Each team faces every other team once in the round games. The top four teams, with the most points, advance to the semifinals. The two winners will face each other off in the finals. The inaugural season of the American Premiere League had total prizes worth $200,000.

Seasons

On September 13, 2021, American Premiere League's Inaugural Tournament kicked off with an opening ceremony. The tournament started on Sept 20th with three back-to-back matches every day.

Teams

References

{{Cricket in the United States Twenty20 cricket leagues Cricket leagues in the United States 2009 establishments in the United States