SA20 wary of falling foul of ICC proposals regarding T20 leagues

The SA20 league is unlikely to fall foul of the ICC’s proposed new regulations regarding overseas players in franchise T20 leagues, because the competition is firmly wedded to the broader South African cricket ecosystem, said the league’s commissioner Graeme Smith.

The SA20 had announced a handful of contractual innovations on Tuesday, that included a more than R5m increase in the salary cap for each of the six teams to R39.1m and increase in the number of players per squad from 17 to 19.

At the same time the league also confirmed it would retain the “four overseas players” per starting team structure, which keeps it in line with the ICC’s reported proposals.

There also have to be at least 11 South African players in each squad. 

“As a league we are making commercial, player and fan investment in South African cricket,” said Smith.

“We must build and improve the game in this country for South Africa.”

The Telegraph in England this week reported the ICC were seeking to apply a rule to each T20 league, limiting the number of overseas players to four in each starting team as a means of protecting the international game.

The move is seen as a response to the International League T20 tournament, that takes place in the UAE at the same time as the SA20, and allows nine overseas players per starting team.

This year’s inaugural Major League Cricket competition in the US, will allow up to six foreign players in the starting team. 

“I’m not sure that what the ILT20 is doing is helping the growth of cricket in the UAE,” said Smith. 

The increased salary Smith said was a reflection of the kind of growth the league had hoped for, but also a sign of how the team owners were enthused about the tournament that proved to be a resounding hit with local audiences.

“In general the first year exceeded everyone’s expectations, but the challenge is to get bigger and stronger.” 

Already a “trade window” has been opened to allow for South African players to be moved between the six franchises should teams agree on players they want added to squads.

The original contracts for South African players were for two years with an option for an extra year as the league sought to build a bond between the players, teams and local fan base. 

“The franchises got an opportunity last season to assess their squads and they may want to tweak certain areas, or they are using different methods to determine the kind of players they need so we want to give them the opportunity to get that done. 

“What we as a league want is for the tournament to be competitive like we had last season and hopefully through this that can be achieved,” said Smith. 

The addition of a rookie contract — for any South African player 22 years old or younger who wasn’t part of last season’s competition — is ostensibly to assist in unearthing new talent and narrowing the gap that exists between domestic and international cricket, said Smith.

“SA20 remains aspirational for up and coming cricketers and this is another opportunity for them to showcase their skills,” he added. 

Meanwhile franchises that picked up players during the tournament to cover for injuries, will be allowed first right of refusal to re-sign those players.

That will mean Proteas white ball captain Temba Bavuma, who was controversially undrafted at the auction, can remain with the Sunrisers Eastern Cape who acquired his services in the final weeks of the tournament. 

Smith expects that this year’s player auction won’t be as big as last year and will take place towards the end of September.

The exact number of players involved will become clearer once the “trade window” closes at the end of the month.

He said the next big player auction is likely to be ahead of season three, once the current contracts have ended. 

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