Graeme Smith Reveals His Aspirations For SA20 League's Growth, Says 'Our Ambition Is To Be The Biggest League Outside India'

Former South African captain Graeme Smith expressed his aspirations for the growth of South Africa’s premier T20 League (SA20). Graeme Smith emphasised the league’s potential for expansion, aiming to make it the largest franchise cricket league outside India.

The SA20 League’s second edition begins on January 11, 2024, with a match between the Joburg Super Kings (JSK) and Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) at Wanderers Stadium. It comprises 34 matches with an updated playoff system and the final on February 10.

Betway SA20 League Commissioner Graeme Smith underlined the league’s potential for expansion and attracting top talent from around the world as it heads into its second season’s auction.

“Our ambition is to be the biggest league outside India,” Smith told PTI ahead of the second season’s auction.

The SA20 League consists of six franchises, including MI Cape Town, Joburg Super Kings, Durban Super Giants, Paarl Royals, Pretoria Capitals, and Sunrisers Eastern Cape. Notably, all these franchises are owned by the owners of IPL teams.

BCCI Managed To Create Outstanding Depth – Graeme Smith

Graeme Smith expressed the league’s goal to develop generational cricket stars and build depth in South African cricket, similar to the IPL’s success in India.

“I think IPL was there in the beginning. It took a couple of years to develop a number of generational stars and work within BCCI managed to create outstanding depth of cricketers in India. It will be our goal too going forward.”

“The highlight of the first season of SA20 was to see some youngsters and more established stars perform together. I think they played in the competition and were exposed to best practices by franchises — exposed to way of global thinking, getting the best coaches, best medical advice.”

Gives Us The Ability To Attract Quality Players – Graeme Smith

The former South African captain expressed satisfaction with the increased cap, stating it allows them to attract quality players. He also noted that the first season of SA20 exceeded expectations and brought positivity to South African cricket.

“Our salary cap is USD 2.3 million and teams can work with significant numbers for a league outside the IPL. It gives us the ability to attract quality players.”

“The Season 1 exceeded all the expectations. We had such a limited amount of time to get up and running and we were able to attract six partners like six global franchises.”

The SA20 League has maintained a salary cap of USD 2.3 million, which is considered one of the best pay scales outside the IPL. The salary cap has been increased by R5.1 million (USD 276,000 approx) to R39.1 million (USD 2.1 million approx) from the first year.

Also read: IND vs WI: “Rohit Sharma Needs To Refresh, Rahul Dravid Deserves Fair Opportunity” – Graeme Smith