Twenty20 Cricket: The rules, top tournaments and reasons for its popularity

• What is T20 cricket? Read this simple guide to find out

• Learn about the rules, history and competitions to watch

• Find out why T20 is popular with batters and bettors

• Get a free cricket bet every time your team wins

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Twenty20 (T20) has been the most exciting innovation in cricket in the 21st-century, bringing drama, razmatazz, new competitions, stars who excel at the short form of the game and millions of enthusiasts. 

From Lords to Lahore, Egbaston to the Gabba and beyond, franchises, counties and international teams have delighted a new generation of fans with brilliant boundaries, scorching deliveries and athletic fielding.

All over the world, cricket fans have seen records smashed, big chases busted and thrilling battles that go down to the final ball.

That's why T20 has taken its place at cricket's top table with the long-established Test and One Day formats. There is still plenty of enthusiam for Test and One Day cricket but T20 has brought a refreshing blast of action to the sport and expanded its reach. 

But what is T20 cricket, when did it start, what are the best competitions to watch and why do bettors love it?

Rules and history of T20 cricket

T20 cricket is simple and isn't that much of a revolution when you look at it closely.

Each team has a go at batting and bowling, each team plays one innings of a maximum of 20 overs (six balls are bowled in an over). The side batting will attempt to score as many runs as possible, while the bowling side will look to restrict that total and the best way of doing that is to take wickets. If the batting side loses 10 wickets that is the end of the innings.

As in all formats of cricket, the team that scores the biggest total wins the match.

Each innings tends to last about 90 minutes, followed by a short break before the teams come out for the second innings.

For fans, this short form of cricket often makes for a great night out, because contests are tense, rapid-fire and often close.

Club cricketers have been playing T20 for years but the first official matches in this format were played between English counties in June 2003. The game quickly caught on and today it is played at all levels, from the franchise leagues to the T20 World Cup where international teams compete to be the best on the planet. 

Best T20 cricket tournaments

International cricket tours include T20 series and are regarded by some fans as equally as important as the Test and One Day International matches. 

Since its inception in 2008, The Indian Premier League (IPL) has become a fixture in the global cricket calendar. Ten teams, known as franchises, take part and players travel to India from all over the world to participate. This year's tournament starts on 22 March and the final will be played on 25 May. You can read previews of every match on Betting.Betfair.

The IPL has inspired similar T20 franchises leagues in South Africa, Australia, England and in most major cricket nations. 

Batters and bettors love T20 cricket

When T20 was pioneered at the start of this century some purists worried that it would change the way the game is played in all formats. They envisaged gung-ho batters playing baseball shots in front of fans with the attention spans of gnats. Fortunately, these concerns have not come to pass and it is simply the case that players require different skills to excel in different versions of cricket and fans are capable of enjoying more than one form of the sport. 

There are some cricketers who, for their athleticism and dynamism, simply love T20. These are the players you will see belting the white ball into the stands, diving around in the field, or making a game-changing impact with a few deliveries. 

Bettors also love T20, as its popularity on the Betfair Exchange shows, with matches and tournaments repeatedly breaking records.

On Betfair, you can bet on T20 matches in-play. With a dazzling blaze of runscoring, or a few quick wickets, capable of turning a match on its head, that creates opportunities for bettors to profit.  

No wonder T20 cricket is growing in popularity and attracting new audiences.

Now read Ultimate Guide to IPL Betting: Auction, schedule, squads, IPL odds and more