SA20 came to life in 2023, and in just three years, it’s the biggest cricket franchise league after the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Big Bash League, Pakistan Super League, and The Hundred came into existence years ago, but SA20 has trumped them all. This is despite them fighting leagues like the Bangladesh Premier League and the ILT20 for foreign players.
But it can be bigger than ever. Graeme Smith, legendary South African captain and the SA20 commissioner, wants the league to grow and grow. “Our ambition is to be the biggest league outside of India. I think people are talking about us; we want to be the league of the choice for players. I think the international players are choosing to be here because the cricket is really hard, and in our window, it’s competitive, the fans, it’s summer, and it’s a great feel. And I think once those things start to fall into place, it really does help you be able to even lift it a little bit more,” Smith told CricketNext.
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Will BCCI allow Indian cricketers to play in SA20?
But can SA20 make itself stand out even more than it already does? IPL investment is already there. All six teams are owned by IPL franchises. They can make it bigger if Indian players feature in the SA20. The question is, will the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) allow Indian players into the league?
Right now, Indian players can’t play in any other league other than the IPL if they aren’t retired. Dinesh Karthik played for the Paarl Royals only because he’d retired from international cricket in June last year. Smith heaped praise on the BCCI but didn’t say much on the future participation of Indian players.
“We want to grow. I mean, look, the IPL is its own beast, and we’re very lucky that we have a good relationship with the BCCI. They’ve been unbelievable in helping guide us at certain times while we were building SA20. I think for us, it’s about obviously how do you keep getting better every year, establishing the product even more, getting more people to tune in and want to experience SA20 from around the world. I mean, those are our ultimate goals. We’ve got to keep growing and getting bigger,” Smith added.
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