Rajasthan Royals, the winners of the inaugural IPL (Source: IPL)Cricket has evolved into one of the most popular sports in many countries across the world. Countries like the USA, which were previously inclined towards big international sports like Rugby, Baseball and Basketball, are now heavily invested in cricket and have established separate leagues to encourage players and promote the sport.This year, yet another T20 league, the European T20 Premier League (ETPL), emerged with the aim of establishing itself as a cornerstone of Associate Cricket.Europe’s first major multi-country, ICC-sanctioned franchise T20 tournament, the ETPL is set to reshape the cricket landscape across the continent.As promised, the star-studded first-ever ETPL season was an extremely entertaining affair, concluding in an engrossing grand final. The first edition of the ETPL saw the Mitchell Santner-led Edinburgh Castle Rockers become inaugural champions with a 7-wicket win over Belfast Wolves.Along the same lines, this article lists the first winners of each major T20 league, including the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash League. Take a look without further ado.IPL 2008 winner - Rajasthan Royals Rajasthan Royals won the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008 under the astute leadership of legendary Shane Watson.In the IPL 2008 final, Rajasthan trumped the Chennai Super Kings by three wickets to acquire the title. PSL 2016 winner - Islamabad United Thanks to Dwayne Smith and Brad Haddin’s blazing half-centuries, Islamabad United pipped Quetta Gladiators to become the first-ever champions of the Pakistan Super League at the Dubai International Stadium in 2016.Also read: IPL Players Whose PSL Bans Could Be Lifted If Window Clash Is AvertedThe duo shared an 85-run second-wicket stand as United chased down Quetta's 174 with six wickets and eight balls to spare, bringing the curtains down on a three-week T20 extravaganza.BBL 2011 winner - Sydney Sixers The Sydney Sixers began the Big Bash League as one of the least fancied sides, but they won the tournament after Moises Henriques set up their chase in the final against the Perth Scorchers.Thanks to the former Aussie all-rounder and now the Portuguese captain, Henriques’ 70* off 41 balls, the Sixers won the inaugural 2011–12 Big Bash League season by defeating the Perth Scorchers by 7 wickets in the final on January 28, 2012.MLC 2023 winner - MI New York In 2023, captain Nicholas Pooran played the best innings of the tournament in the final against Seattle Orcas, taking his team to the trophy in the first-ever Major League Cricket (MLC).Chasing 184, he slammed an unbeaten 137 off 55 balls, laced with 13 sixes and 10 fours to win the game by 7 wickets.SA20 2023 winner - Sunrisers Eastern Cape Roelof van der Merwe was the star of the show in the SA20 final in 2023 as the Sunrisers Eastern Cape defeated Pretoria Capitals by four wickets to become the inaugural champions.In a rain-curtailed title clash of the South African T20 league, Van der Merwe was named the Player of the Match after taking 4 wickets for 31 runs in his four-over quota.ILT20 2022-23 winner - Gulf Giants Gulf Giants concluded their successful ILT20 2022-23 campaign, winning the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.They defeated Desert Vipers by five wickets, writing their name in history books as the winners of the inaugural International League T20 (ILT20).APL 2018 winner - Balkh Legends On October 22, 2018, Balkh Legends became the first champions of the Afghanistan Premier League (APL) T20, as they beat Kabul Zwanan by four wickets at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.Qais Ahmad set up the win for Balkh Legends in the inaugural APL final with his spell of 5/18. His five-fer was the key as Legends restricted Kabul Zwanan to 132/9 in their 20 overs.BPL 2012 winner - Dhaka Gladiators Dhaka Gladiators won the inaugural Bangladesh Premier League (BPL 2012) by bringing out their A-game in the knockout stages of the tournament. They took only 15.4 overs to overhaul the Barisal Burners' total of 141 and complete an eight-wicket win in front of a packed Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur.CLT20 2009 winner - New South Wales BluesNew South Wales were crowned the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 winners after they snapped Trinidad and Tobago’s fairytale campaign with a 41-run victory in a high-voltage summit clash.Also read: ETPL Stars Who Can Be Picked In IPL 2027 AuctionIn the title showdown between the tournament's top two teams, it was a battle between Caribbean flair and Australian professionalism, and in the end, NSW had the last laugh, with Brett Lee as their star performer.The Hundred 2021 winner - Southern Brave Southern Brave were crowned champions of the first-ever The men’s Hundred. The James Vince-led side defeated Birmingham Phoenix by 32 runs to win the 100-ball competition.Paul Stirling’s spectacular 61 laid the foundation for their win. The Irish player was adjudged the Player of the Match.CPL 2013 winner - Jamaica Tallawahs In the 2013 Caribbean Premier League, Jamaica Tallawahs won the maiden title. They defeated Guyana Amazon Warriors by 7 wickets in the final, chasing the target of 129 runs in 17.3 overs.LPL 2020 winner - Jaffna Stallions A strong opening stand, a cool-headed 69-run partnership between Shoaib Malik and Dhananjaya de Silva, finishing fireworks from Thisara Perera, and an utterly dominant bowling effort led the Jaffna Stallions to secure the maiden Lanka Premier League title in 2020 by a winning margin of 53 runs.ETPL 2026 winner - Edinburgh Castle Rockers On September 21, 2026, Edinburgh Castle Rockers created history by becoming the inaugural champions of the European T20 Premier League (ETPL 2026), defeating Belfast Wolves by seven wickets in the final. The South African-American batter, Andries Gous, produced a match-winning unbeaten 90 to guide his side to the title.Also read: Australian Legend Calls England "Mentally Fragile" In a Brutal Verbal Attack
