Introduction:
T20 contests are being played in many major cricketing Nations now, and the bench strength of many countries has become strong. On the other hand, there is no containing the popularity of IPL. IPL owners have now reached out to South African shores and purchased all the teams participating in their T20 league.
A brief history of the SA T20 league:
The local board aspired to reach the levels of the IPL but failed in doing so. They gave it a new sheen with six teams and named it “Mzansi league”. The Mzansi Super League (MSL) is South Africa’s main Twenty20 (T20) cricket league, contested annually. Cricket South Africa (CSA) introduced the competition in 2018 as a successor for the disbanded T20 Global League.
The quality was good, but they could not find the best broadcast, which has been so for three years. Now, it receives yet another makeover with Graeme Smith, the ex-captain of South Africa, heading the cause as the ‘ Commissioner ‘.
Although the proposed plans are yet to be revealed, there are six teams. They laid the Red Carpet, and 29 investors showed their enthusiasm. One of such bidders was a consortium headed by Kevin Petersen, but their bids did not stand a chance against the six IPL franchises.
Broadcast Rights:
Supersport would be the Broadcaster, and they join hands with the SA Cricket Board to run the newly formed league.
Who Invested where?
The following are the teams and IPL franchises which have purchased them. The money involved is yet to be known, and the team set-up would be later amid rumours that CSK has pumped in a lot of money to buy their SA franchise.
| SA T20 Teams | Present owners |
| Johannesburg | Chennai Super Kings |
| Cape Town | Mumbai Indians |
| Paarl | Rajasthan Royals |
| Pretoria | Delhi Capitals |
| Port Elizabeth | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| Durban | Lucknow Super Giants |
Bottom Line:
The Australian Big Bash League (BBL) has been shocked by these new developments and searching ways. The reason is that BBL may coincide at the end with the start of the SA T20 league. Since the SA league is loaded with cash from the IPL owners, many players would desert ship as the money is more on the other side. Only time would tell us what’s going to happen. On the flip side, IPL-owned franchises without an Indian Player!
