Cricket is the staple sport of Australia. Such is the prevalence of the sport that the Northern Territory of the region has its own cricket board that was conceived in 1978. In 2022, the Northern Territory Cricket and Cricket Australia sanctioned the Top End T20 tournament for emerging cricketers.
The tournament features teams that consist of professional cricketers of various age ranges. Most of the teams are franchise teams that represent a city of Australia. In 2023 and 2024, a Pakistan A side and a Bangladesh HP XI side became the first non-Australian sides to participate in the event.
As of 2024, the participating teams are Adelaide Strikers, Bangladesh HP XI, ACT Comets, Melbourne Renegades Academy, Melbourne Stars Academy, Tasmanian Tigers, NT Strike, Pakistan A, and Perth Scorchers Academy. Formerly, a Cricket Australia XI and Papa New Guinea teams also participated in the event.
The Top End T20 series is scheduled before the Big Bash League. Thus, it is often known as the pre-season Big Bash League. Each participating team plays the other in a round-robin format.
The teams are eventually positioned based on their performances in the league stage. The top four sides progress to the semifinals. Teams positioned first and fourth contest the first semifnal whereas teams placed second and third play the second semifinal.
No team has won the Top End T20 twice as of 2024. Cricket Australia XI, NT Strike, and Adelaide Strikers Academy have won the tournament once each. No edition has had the same number of teams participate and the number of teams involved has ranges from five to nine. The event continues to be held annually.
