LA28 Cricket: The 128-Year Return, the T20 Revolution, and the Global Race for Gold

Baseball is beloved primarily in North America and Asia. However, if you look around the world, there is another sport that generates a level of enthusiasm far surpassing that of baseball, all with just a bat and a glove.

That sport is “cricket,” which boasts the world’s second-largest player base after soccer, with approximately 2.5 billion participants. Cricket will make its return to the Olympics at the 2028 Los Angeles Games—its first appearance in 128 years.

Why did a sport so beloved around the world disappear from the Olympics for over a century? We explore the reasons behind this absence and the appeal of the “ultra-fast new rules” that are set to captivate the world once again.

A historic moment in Los Angeles—the first in 128 years.
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What Is Cricket?—A “360-Degree” Game of Attack

A cricket team consists of 11 players, and the bowler and the batsman face off on the “pitch” in the center of the field. Although it is a batting sport like baseball, its rules are unique and full of intrigue—the conventions of baseball simply don’t apply here.

The entire 360-degree area is fair play

There is no concept of a “foul” in cricket.

A batter can score runs by hitting the ball in any direction on the field, including behind them. As a result, a wide variety of shots reminiscent of tennis and golf are played.

A “bounce ball” traveling at 150 km/h

The bowler takes a long run-up and delivers a fastball exceeding 150 km/h. The most distinctive feature is that the ball is bounced once on the ground.

The unpredictable bounce and the psychological battle with the batter who faces it are the true thrills of the game.

A 10-out system and a system where batting continues

Unlike baseball, in cricket, the teams do not switch between batting and fielding until 10 players from one team have been dismissed. (The 120-ball rule has been introduced in the new T20 format.)

Each player gets only one turn at bat per match, but in return, they can continue batting for as many minutes as they like as long as they are not dismissed, and it is not uncommon for a single star player to decide the outcome of the match.

Why was it absent from the Olympics for 128 years?

The last time cricket was played at the Olympics was at the 1900 Games in Paris.

At that time, only two countries—the United Kingdom and France—participated, and the event took on the form of what was effectively a friendly match. From that point on, cricket would disappear from the Olympic stage for over a century.

The primary reason for its removal from the Olympics was the “length of the matches.”

The traditional “Test Match” format can take up to five days to complete a single match.

Given the packed schedule, it was physically impossible to include a sport that took several days to complete. However, with the dawn of the 21st century, a revolution broke through this time constraint, opening the door for cricket’s return to the Olympics.

Why did the IOC decide to include cricket now? For more on the business aspects behind this decision—specifically the Indian market and the massive broadcasting rights deals—please read this summary article.

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Olympic Legacy: Past & Future

“T20”: The High-Speed Format That Changed the Olympics

Instead of traditional Test matches, the LA28 will feature a new format known as “T20.”

T20 is a format that limits each team’s innings to “20 overs (120 balls).” As a result, matches that once took several days to complete can now be decided in about three hours.

“A pace suited for television broadcasts” and “aggressive play where players go for runs with full swings from the very first ball.” This exciting combination swayed the IOC and was the deciding factor in cricket’s return.

The Global Landscape and New Challengers

With cricket’s return to the Olympics, the battle for global supremacy has entered a new phase.

A battle for the pride of the former British Commonwealth

At the pinnacle of the global cricket landscape stand the historic powerhouses. Cricket originated in Britain and spread to the nations of the former British Commonwealth as the British Empire expanded.

Today, the center of the cricket world is India. This star-studded team has transformed a sport once brought over by the colonial power into a unique phenomenon of fervor.

Joining them are Australia, with its traditional tactics, and England, which takes pride in being the sport’s birthplace.

Winning the gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics has become the ultimate mission for these undisputed champions, bound by deep historical ties.