Graeme Smith confident of SA20 going from strength to strength

CHENNAI: In 2009, South Africa stepped up to host the second edition of Indian Premier League (IPL), injecting over $100 million into its local economy and secured a broadcast deal worth Rs 8200 crore. The tournament was hailed as an “extraordinary” success, boosting South Africa’s ambition for a thriving T20 league of its own.

Fast forward to 2024, and the SA20 league has evolved into one of the fastest-growing franchise leagues, with its third season poised to captivate cricket fans globally.

It wasn’t an easy path to traverse and establish a sustainable franchise-based T20 league for Cricket South Africa (CSA) after hard lessons were learnt from past failures like the Global League T20 in 2017 and Mzansi Super League.

Backed by IPL franchises owning all six teams, SA20 offers familiarity for the Indian fans with team names like Joburg Super Kings and MI Cape Town. This time around, the league is bigger and better. Former India wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik will mark his presence in the league for the first time to become the first Indian to play in the tournament.

The League Commissioner SA20, Graeme Smith, Mark Boucher, Ambassador SA20, and India Ambassador SA20 Dinesh Karthik, spoke at length about the upcoming season, league’s growth, future of SA20 and more.

Excerpts from the interaction:

This is the first time you’re playing in this tournament. How excited are you?

Dinesh Karthik: When I finished playing IPL, I wanted to play some cricket. So, I was thinking, what were the options? I've never been part of any league. So, I asked players who've been part of other leagues. And the one thing that came out very strongly, almost unanimously, was the fact that the SA20 was the best held tournament, the most exciting tournament. It's got the most interesting rivalries as well because of the domestic set-up. I was very keen on playing this tournament. And then the offer came through from Royals and I couldn’t say no. And to have been appointed ambassador was a cherry on top because Graeme (Smith) was kind enough to get me into that role.

What has been the response to the league so far?

Graeme Smith: Obviously, Cricket South Africa tried and failed on a few occasions. So, it was crucial that we got this right. So, a lot of hard work went in the beginning to getting the structures right, to getting the business model right as well. I think, for me, one of the standouts is being in that first week of cricket and standing in each stadium and seeing how the fans are dressed in the colours of the franchises and how much they're behind their teams. And that's been brilliant. And I think last year we averaged over 380,000 people through our gates, which is just record attendance. And a lot of it has to go to the quality of the event, the quality of the franchises.

How are you looking forward to the SA20 experience after your stint with the IPL with Mumbai Indians?

Mark Boucher: I think, in my role as an ambassador, it’s a little bit different than coaching. But, I mean, the first two editions have been fantastic to watch and be a part of as well. So, I have got no doubt the third edition is going to be even better and bigger. Having a look at a couple of the names that have joined the SA League, it just goes to show that people are looking at the league and they want to be a part of it. I think it’s a fun league to be a part of as well. And the standard of cricket is growing in a big way.

Any plans of expanding the league?

GS: We always thought year five onwards is where we would look at it (expansion). I think for us, IPL also took time to expand from where they started. For us, it’s about developing the quality of South African players. As Dinesh Karthik said, having strong domestic-base players is a key pillar into being able to build a successful tournament like we’ve seen with IPL. When you’re adding franchises, you need to think about the quality of the cricket, you need to think about the fan bases.

What sort of experience are you looking forward to and what was your opinion on the first two editions of SA20?

DK: I’ve watched both the editions closely because a lot of the players that I’ve played with in IPL teams have played in that tournament. And the fact that South Africa has had a very good domestic structure over a period of time, I think you could almost say they were frontrunners to be a very good tournament. And on top of that, the teams that assemble there, the six franchises that represent the domestic structure have been very good in terms of the assortment of players they’ve got. They’ve got the top players across batters, bowlers, in the ICC rankings as we speak.