London – Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Monday officially announced the successful eight Team Owners who, in a clear vote of confidence in South Africa’s new T20 Global League, have earned the right to be part of cricketing history.
After much anticipation and with excitement at an all-time high, the reveal took place at a well-attended industry launch event at London’s most prestigious hotel, The Bvlgari, London. The event set the tone for a new standard in T20 cricket.
EY (previously known as Ernst & Young) ran the team owner selection process to ensure integrity, compliance and due diligence was followed throughout the process by both CSA and potential owners.
“Competition was stiff, with more than 150 Expressions of Interest (EOI) received from around the world and a shortlist of heavy hitters to consider, but after rigorous discussions and engagement with each of the potential owners, we are certain that our final eight owners have the perfect combination of strategic insight and passion needed to make the first T20 Global League a complete success,” said CSA President, Chris Nenzani.
The logo for the new T20 Global League and what the different aspects symbolise.
The official eight team owners are:
1. Shah Rukh Khan – Cape Town. Marquee SA player: JP Duminy
2. Mr Fawad Rana – Durban. Marquee SA player: Hashim Amla
3. GMR Group – Johannesburg. Marquee SA player: Kagiso Rabada
4. Mr Javed Afridi – Benoni. Marquee SA player: Quinton de Kock
5. Mr Osman Osman – Pretoria. Marquee SA player: AB de Villiers
6. Mr Ajay Sethi – Port Elizabeth. Marquee SA player: Imran Tahir
7. Mr Mustaq Brey – Stellenbosch. Marquee SA player: Faf du Plessis
8. Mr Sushil Kumar – Bloemfontein. Marquee SA player: David Miller
Joining the owners will be the eight Protea Marquee Players who have now been assigned to a team on the basis of the city they have historically been associated with or a city they will be able to build a strong association with.
Alongside the Protea marquee players, the eight International marquee players that were previously announced will help drive the global spirit of competition as the franchises battle for top spot.
“The announcement of the team owners is a key milestone to successfully launch our T20 Global League,” commented CSA Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat. “We are thrilled by the international mix of owners and the passion and excitement that was clearly demonstrated during the bidding process by them and the marquee players. It sets up our #T20GL as a fans favourite in the cricketing calendar.”
The player draft is scheduled for 19 August, with almost 400 players from 10 countries confirming their interest.