The new South African T20 League will have a “number of leading players” among the participants according to the League’s commissioner Graeme Smith.
On Wednesday, Cricket South Africa confirmed the backing of six IPL teams for the franchises that will participate in the competition. “The strong sports background of the respective owners and the global brands they manage ensures that South African cricket and the broader industry will benefit from their expertise and resources, as they bring stability and experience to the League,” Smith said in a statement.
The six teams will be based in Johannesburg, Centurion, Paarl, Gqeberha, Cape Town and Durban, copying the venues which hosted the now defunct Mzansi Super League, which was CSA’s previous attempt at creating a T20 franchise competition.
Cricket SA said that an open bid process was undertaken, overseen by accounting firm, Deloitte Corporate Finance, that garnered interest from 29 parties, while 10 venues submitted bid to host a team. Smith described the bidding process as robust. “The decision was informed by a scorecard based on various criteria to ensure the utmost professionalism, independence, and objectivity to the process,” he added.
As was the case for CSA’s first attempt at creating a T20 franchise competition - the Global League T20 - overseas players will be brought into the tournament. “We have already contracted a number of leading international players who will be announced shortly,” said Smith.
The League has budgeted, $1.5-million per team for salaries, with each squad being able to sign up to five international players.
Cricket SA have described the creation of the new League as critical to its financial model, and are leaning on it heavily to ensure the sustainability of the sport in the country.
Successful bidders and new team owners:
Newlands, Cape Town - Reliance Industries Limited, owners of Mumbai Indians
Kingsmead, Durban - RPSG Sports Private Limited, owners of Lucknow Super Giants
St George’s Park, Gqeberha - Sun TV Network Limited, owners of Sunrisers Hyderabad Paarl - Royals Sports Group, owners of Rajasthan Royals
Wanderers, Johannesburg - Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited, owners of Chennai Super Kings
SuperSport Park, Centurion - JSW Sports, co-owners of Delhi Capitals
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