Not BBL or PSL! Robin Uthappa names world’s second-best T20 league after IPL

South Africa’s domestic franchise league, SA20, has garnered a lot of attraction and praise despite being launched a couple of years back. SA20 has been strongly making its presence felt in the cricket world, and the influence of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is not denied in this tournament.

Actually, all SA20 franchises are owned by IPL team owners, and most of the players, except for Indians, represent their respective teams in the South African league, which has been playing a major role in the tournament’s growing popularity in the world.

SA20 second best T20 league after IPL: Robin Uthappa

Recently, former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik heaped praise on SA20, where he is associated with the Paarl Royals, and now former Indian batter Robin Uthappa showered rich praise on Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) T20 league, featuring six city-based teams.

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Robin Uthappa, who is enjoying the commentary stint in the SA20 2025, hailed the high standards of cricket in the South African T20 league. Uthappa even called SA20 the world’s second-best T20 league after the Indian Premier League (IPL) in terms of quality of cricket.

Robin Uthappa was quoted as saying by Times of India: “I think the standard has been pretty phenomenal. I concur with Dinesh; I think it's possibly the second-best tournament as far as cricket quality is concerned in T20 leagues after the IPL. I think the cricket is great.”

Robin Uthappa hails thrilling atmosphere in the South African league

He also praised the thrilling atmosphere created by passionate crowds, the electric energy in the stadiums, and the stunning beauty of the venues, especially in Paarl.

Uthappa added, “The crowds, the atmosphere, and the energy here have been phenomenal. The grounds we play at are just so beautiful. Paarl is a fantastic venue to play cricket at. I think overall, this is incredibly exciting for South African cricket, and I'm certain it will go from strength to strength from here.”

The former Indian batter also believes that there should be greater player exchanges between the IPL and SA20, as it will help the players from both leagues gain valuable experience through cross-league participation.

He also hailed Luandri Pretorius as a phenomenal find and felt there were a lot of talent ready to be discovered through the T20 league in South Africa.

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Robin Uthappa calls for the exchange of the players between SA20 and IPL

Uthappa further explained, “I think it should be both ways—SA20 players playing in the IPL and IPL players playing in SA20. It would do cricket a world of good. I think the fact that this tournament has come about and it's been owned predominantly by the IPL franchise owners shows you that there's enough and more talent here in South Africa.”

He also reflected on the fond memories of the 2007 T20 World Cup in Durban, where he began his international T20 journey. Robin Uthappa recalled the excitement of making his debut, saying the entire 2007 T20 World Cup victorious campaign was phenomenal.

In the end, Uthappa said that he is one of the biggest fans of Dinesh Karthik’s batting. He said that they had played together since their teenage days. Robin signed off by saying, “DK, I think, is one of the most pleasing batters to watch.”