Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced the launch of a new domestic T20 League to compete with global competitions including as the IPL, BBL, and the Hundred. According to recent sources, six IPL franchises have been purchased by IPL owners.
The bidding for the teams concluded on July 13th, and while no winning bids have been published as of yet, with 29 Expressions of Interest (EoIs) in the mix, reports indicate that as many as six teams will be sponsored by the current IPL team owners.
According to reports, Mukesh Ambani of the Mumbai Indians, N Srinivasan of the Chennai Super Kings, Parth Jindal of the Delhi Capitals, the Marans of SunRisers Hyderabad, Sanjiv Goenka of the Lucknow Super Giants, and Manoj Badale of the Rajasthan Royals are believed to have acquired ownership of the league’s available six franchises.
The two most successful IPL franchises, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are planning to locate their teams in Cape Town and Johannesburg, respectively. The Pretoria Capitals will replace the Delhi Capitals in Pretoria. The Lucknow Super Giants’ owner, Sanjiv Goenka, is interested in acquiring the Durban franchise. The SRH team could be situated in Port Elizabeth, while the Rajasthan Royals team will be based in Paarl.
The league, which is set to begin next year, will compete with another brand new T20 league established in the UAE, with many notable players leaning toward the latter. The English players, notably white-ball captain Jos Buttler and outstanding all-rounder Liam Livingstone, are thought to be more inclined to join the South African league, while Moeen Ali has committed to play in the UAE-based tournament.
The West Indian player contingent wants to play in the UAE league, while Dwayne Bravo is expected to join the CSK-backed franchise in the South African league. Faf du Plessis, a free agent, and worldwide T20 standout is also poised to play in his native country’s tournament.
