Mzansi Super League Postponed To 2021, CSA Releases Statement

The 2020 edition of the Mzansi Super League (MSL) has been postponed to November-December next year, Cricket South Africa announced in a statement. According to CSA’s acting CEO, Kugandrie Govender, they decided to push the tournament to 2021 because of the various “national and international logistical reasons” caused by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

“As the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place in India from October to November 2021, we understand the importance of providing domestic cricketers the opportunity to impress for selection,” Govender said.

“Therefore, in lieu of the MSL T20, CSA will stage a single-round domestic franchise T20 competition early next year. This will give players ample time to prepare and stadiums the chance to recover financially by welcoming fans back to support their favourite domestic players,” added Govender.

According to the board, the decision to schedule the tournament in the second half of the 2020-21 season has been taken keeping in mind the importance of the Mzansi Super League.

“The 2020/2021 global cricket calendar will be jam-packed, appreciating the ICC’s efforts to fit as many missed international tours due to Covid-19, into this period. The impact of revised calendars for international cricket across all ICC Members and other T20 leagues, have had a knock-on effect on South African cricket scheduling,” said Govender.

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The acting CEO also added that Covid-19 restrictions and the uncertainty around international travel were some factors taken into consideration while making this decision.

“The Covid-19 restrictions and uncertainty around international travel, including the state of control of South African borders, as well as border control at the country points of departure of international players, also compelled CSA to make this rational decision. Also, the unavailability of national players due to a revised and saturated season would have diluted the quality that CSA envisions for MSL,” he concluded.

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