New Delhi, Sep 9 (IANS): Graeme Smith, League Commissioner, SA20, said having former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik play in the third season of the tournament is a very exciting prospect. Karthik is all set to become the first Indian player to play in SA20 when he will represent Paarl Royals in the third season of the competition, starting on January 9, 2025.
“We've said from the start we want to be a highly competitive league. We have seen our South African group of players get stronger every year. We've got some world-class players and we want to grow that. But the opportunity to bring the international talent of the likes of Dinesh Kartik to play in our tournament is something we're very excited about.”
“You can see Ben Stokes, Kane Williamson, Jonny Bairstow, Devon Conway, Rashid Khan and many more coming just shows the standard of the league, and the best cricketers wanting to be a part of it. I think Dinesh is a global superstar. So for him to see in our crowds and fan base, (and for others) to be able to see him live is something that I'm sure they're going to be very excited about,” said Smith, the former South Africa captain, in an exclusive conversation with IANS.
Since its inception, SA20 has quickly found an engaged fan base, with many stadiums reporting sell-out fixtures. Smith remarked that the impact of SA20 has been enormous in growing a dedicated group of cricket fans in South Africa.
“Firstly being able to attract the six IPL franchises to here really brings a huge amount of experience and expertise to cricket in the country. We've been able to have world-class entertainment and then really competitive cricket.”
“On top of that to see last year, close to 3,80,000 fans coming through our gates for the season is unheard of. So, to see cricket getting stronger in the country, to see the fan base growing and seeing our cricketers get stronger, the two SA20s have played an integral part in all of that.”
“So, this year we want to obviously go from strength to strength. Our eyeballs in terms of viewership is strong. Our digital numbers are strong. For us, we're very excited for season three. We think the cricket is going to be brilliant, and if we can get the fans back and excited and loving summer in South Africa, then that's something we'd love to do.”
An interesting aspect of the SA20 season play-offs is it being played at three venues. St. George’s Park in Gqeberha will host Qualifier 1, while Centurion will stage both the Eliminator and Qualifier 2, followed by the Wanderers hosting the title clash on February 8.
“Look, every year we try and figure out to try and give opportunities to different stadiums as well in the knockout phases. This year we're going to three venues for our knockouts. First one in Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) and then in Pretoria and the Wanderers. From our perspective, season one was a huge success there and it being sold out meant the atmosphere was amazing.”
“It is our largest capacity venue in South Africa and at the Bullring, it's just a wonderful atmosphere. So, this year we decided to go with the three venues that worked in terms of the scheduling and structure. Every year we'll assess and see where we can also open up opportunities for other stadiums,” stated Smith.
He signed off by saying SA20 will retain its usual January-February window to cash on the cricketing summer in South Africa. “For us, we are in an integral part of the summer calendar in South Africa. So again, I think India here in November, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are touring. So we will start directly after the New Year's Test match again on January 9. This may shift slightly here and there every year. But we will be pretty much in this window every year.”