South Africa T20 also known as the SA20 is the domestic men’s T20 cricket league of South Africa . It is a tournament in which six team participate where the names of the teams are based on cities around the country.
The first season of SA 20 took place in 2023 organized by Cricket South Africa (CSA). The winners of the inaugural season of SA20 were Sunrisers Eastern Cape which was led by Aiden Markram. Pretoria Capitals emerged as the runners up of the tournament.
History and Format
The cricket board of South Africa organized franchise based T20 global league in 2017. However, the inaugural season was postpone by a year due to lack of title sponsor and broadcasting rights. It was replaced by Mzansi Super League in June 2018 which had 6 South African based teams. Due to COVID 19 outbreak the MSL league was stopped and it had just 2 seasons. Both the leagues were unsuccessful.
SA20 was established by CSA in 2022 through a newly formed entity, Africa Cricket Development Limited (ACD). It was declared as a six team league where all the six teams were bought by the IPL franchises. In August 2022, former South African captain Graeme Smith was named as the commissioner for the tournament. The format of the tournament is simple, each team plays each other twice and the top 4 teams move towards the playoffs. The playoffs consists 3 games, 2 semi-finals and a final. The players are bought via auction and each team had an opportunity to sign 5 players – 3 international, 1 South African & 1 uncapped South African player.
Teams and Players
| Team | City | Home ground | Owner | Captain | Head coach |
| Durban’s Super Giants | Durban, Kwazulu-Natal | Kingsmead Cricket Ground, Durban | RPSG Group | Quinton De Kock | Lance Klusener |
| Joburg Super Kings | Johannesburg, Gauteng | Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg | India Cements | Faf du Plessis | Stephen Fleming |
| MI Cape Town | Cape Town, Western Cape | Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town | Indiawin Sports | Rashid Khan | Simon Katich |
| Paarl Royals | Paarl, Western Cape | Boland Park, Paarl | Royals Sports Group | David Miller | JP Duminy |
| Pretoria Capitals | Pretoria, Gauteng | Centurion Park, Centurion | JSW Group | Wayne Parnell | Graham Ford |
| Sunrisers Eastern Cape | Gqeberha, Eastern Cape | St George’s Park Cricket Ground, Gqeberha | SUN Group | Aiden Markram | Adrian Birrell |
1. Durban’s Super Giants – Quinton De Kock (Captain)
Key players:
- Heinrich Klaasen
- Kyle Mayers
- Jason Holder
- Johnson Charles
2. Joburg Super Kings – Faf Du Plessis (Captain)
Key Players:
- Reeza Hendricks
- Harry Brook
- Matthew Wade
- Maheesh Theekshana
3. MI cape Town – Rashid Khan (Captain)
Key Players:
- Dewald Brevis
- Jofra Archer
- Sam Curran
- Liam Livingstoe
- Kagiso Rabada
4. Paarl Royals – David Miller (Captain)
Key Players:
- Jos Buttler
- Eoin Morgan
- Jason Roy
- Tabraiz Shamsi
5. Pretoria Capitals – Wayne Parnell (Captain)
Key Players:
- Anrich Nortje
- Rilee Rossouw
- Adil Rashid
- James Neesham
6. Sunrisers Eastern Cape – Aiden Markram (Captain)
Key Players:
- Tristan Stubbs
- Marco Jansen
- Sisanda
- Roelof Van Der Merwe
Memorable Moments and Records
Moments:
- MI Cape Town’s star filled team.
- Faf’s fantastic century.
- Sisanda Magala – A new find in the South African pace factory.
- Markram’s century denies Reeza Hendricks heroics in the second semi-final
- Marco Jansen’s winning six to lift the trophy.
Records:
- Most Runs – Jos Buttler
- Most Wickets – Roelof Van Der Merwe/Anrich Nortje
- Most Fifties – Jos Buttler
- Most Hundreds – Aiden Markram, Faf Du Plessis, Heinrich Klaasen
- Highest Individual Score – Faf Du Plessis
- Most Fifers – Roelof Van Der Merwe
Impact on South African Cricket
- Financial windfall
Since South Africa already had 2 flop domestic T20 league, this league will have a huge role in deciding South Africa’s future of cricket. The names of the teams are all related to the names of the teams of IPL as owners of all 6 teams are the same owners of the IPL. This relationship will inject much-needed cash into a cricket ecosystem that sorely needs it.
- Long-term prospects
South Africa have been hurting their fans in every ICC tournament. There are always high hopes from the team but it fails to perform to its expectations. Former captain Graeme Smith had been appointed as the CEO of SA20 has promised that the young South African generation will have great impact of this tournament as IPL has on the Indian youngsters.
- International Superstars
The tournament is not completely for the proteas but it will have all the international superstars from all around the world. Players like Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Kyle Mayers, Matthew Wade etc. will increase the quality of competition and cricket.
- Showcase of talent
This league provides a huge platform for the young players to get into the national side and also for the experienced players who had lost their spot in the national side.
Conclusion
SA20 is one of the newest franchise leagues in the world. It had a great inaugural season in terms of viewership & attendance. 6 teams participate in the league. It replaced the old franchise league MSL. All the 6 teams are owned by the PL franchises. It provides a great platform for the players to show their talent and also has a positive impact on Cricket South Africa (CSA). South Asian countries like – Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, etc. can watch the CPL on Sports 18, Sports 18 1, Sports 18 1 HD, & Sports 18 Khel. The league’s highlights are also available on YouTube and Facebook.
