England wicketkeeper-batter Sam Billings was asked to name the best franchise based T20 league in the world. Billings, who is currently playing for the Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), suggested the Indian Premier League (IPL) is way ahead of every other T20 league in the world. Billings, who went unsold in the IPL 2025 auction, last played in the tournament in 2022, representing the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Billings added that PSL is competing with England’s “The Hundred” and Australia’s “Big Bash League” for the second best T20 league in the world.
“You want me to say something silly, don’t you? The great thing about cricket is that everywhere you go around the world, you have to adapt to conditions. The conditions – playing in India, Pakistan, Australia, and England – you have to adapt as a cricketer,” said Billings, during a press conference.
“It’s hard to rank all the competitions. But, I think it’s hard to look past the IPL as the premier competition. It’s pretty obvious. Every other competition is just behind. In England, we’re trying to do the same thing, like the PSL, to be the second-best competition in the world. The Big Bash is trying to do the same.”
Billings, however, insisted it’s hard to compare league since the conditions are different everywhere.
“I think it’s hard to compare. Each competition brings out different challenges. I am grateful that I get to travel the world and play cricket and bring a smile to the people. I wouldn’t trade this job for anything,” he added.
Billings has played five seasons in the IPL since his debut in 2016 where he represented the Delhi Capitals. He then played for CSK in 2018 and 2019, before his final stint in IPL, as of yet, for KKR in 2022.
In PSL, Billings has been representing Lahore Qalandars since 2023.
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