South Africa T20 league signs 30 marquee players: Key details
A total of 30 "marquee international players" have been signed for Cricket South Africa's upcoming T20 League, starting January next year. While the final list of players is yet to be out, more players could enter the auction. As per a report in ESPNcricinfo, Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, and Jason Holder are among the players to feature in CSA's inaugural T20 tournament.
Why does this story matter?
In July, CSA announced the launch of a new franchise-based T20 league in association with broadcaster SuperSport. The first season of the tournament is scheduled to get underway in January 2023. The new tournament comes as another effort from CSA to popularize franchise-based T20 cricket in the country. Several star players from around the world are expected to take part in the tournament.
CSA league a direct competition to UAE's ILT20
Like CSA, the UAE has also announced its new T20 tournament, the International League T20. The UAE league is also scheduled to begin in January next year. It recently released a list of marquee players who are expected to feature in the tournament. The names include Andre Russell, Moeen Ali, Wanindu Hasaranga, Alex Hales, Shimron Hetmyer, Chris Jordan, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
A look at the formation of squads
As per ESPNcricinfo, each squad in the CSA T20 league will have as many as 17 players. The franchises would be able to pre-sign up to five players before the auction (three overseas, one South African international player, and one uncapped South African player). Notably, up to four international players would be allowed in the Playing XI.
IPL team owners bought franchises
It was reported that the Indian Premier League (IPL) team owners have acquired the six CSA T20 league franchises - Mukesh Ambani (Mumbai Indians), N Srinivasan (Chennai Super Kings), Parth Jindal (Delhi Capitals), the Marans (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Sanjiv Goenka (Lucknow Super Giants), and Manoj Badale (Rajasthan Royals). MI: Cape Town, CSK: Johannesburg, DC: Pretoria Capitals, LSG: Durban, SRH: Port Elizabeth, and RR: Paarl.
Other key details about the tournament
Six teams will face each other twice in a round-robin stage before the top three progress to the playoffs. Overall, 33 games will be contested over a period of nearly four weeks. A player auction will take place at a later date, while the tournament will be held in January every year. Former South African captain Graeme Smith was named the league's commissioner.
