CSA T20 League Will Be Able To Create New Talent Just Like IPL – Lance Klusener

Former South Africa player Lance Klusener said South Africa will repeat the IPL model to create a pool of talented players from the domestic circuit in the country.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) was the brainchild of former BCCI official Lalit Modi in 2008. Just after India’s success in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in South Africa, IPL paved the way in the entertainment of cricket and changed the dynamics of Indian cricket.

CSA T20 League to emulate IPL in strengthening grassroot players for the national team

The IPL has successfully completed 15 years and is currently positioned in one of the richest sporting leagues in the world with the ranks of the Premier League (England) and National Football League (USA).

Cricket South Africa (CSA) is set to give a shot to another attempt to establish a strong T20 league after failing on a couple of occasions. The league will be played in January 2023 in the same window as Australia’s Big Bash League. Six IPL owners have bought teams in the South Africa T20 league.

CSA confirmed the owners of Mumbai, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Chennai, Rajasthan and Delhi franchises own teams in South Africa from Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha (formerly known as Port Elizabeth), Johannesburg, Paarl and Pretoria respectively.

IPL has been a great environment: Lance Klusener 

Klusener, who will be the head coach of the Durban franchise, said the CSA T20 league will allow young players to compete with best players in the world just as observed in IPL.

“IPL has been a great environment as it has given the opportunity for younger players to rub shoulders with international players and coaches from across the world. Much like IPL that has discovered so many new talents — South Africa too will be able to create new talent with the CSA T20 League,” Klusener told Times of India.

“T20 cricket is rocketing, isn’t it? With a lot of T20 leagues coming up, I definitely do see FTPs and especially 50-over cricket coming under pressure. These T20 competitions are bringing in new talent and money which is good for everybody. I am glad it’s not my problem to sort that out but I do foresee some thought going into FTPs in the future,” the current Zimbabwe batting coach added.

The CSA will start their brand new T20 league, claiming it to be the second best franchise tournament after IPL, at the expense of scrapping the ODI series against Australia in January 2023.

Also Read: ‘What’s Surprising In That, Didn’t Expect Them To Play At All’: Salman Butt On Pakistan Players’ Exclusion In UAE, CSA T20 Leagues