SA20 commissioner Graeme Smith has pledged to make it the second best league in the world after admitting that the IPL remains the leader of franchise cricket, from where they can “only learn” to get better.
The third season of SA20 is currently underway across venues in South Africa.
“BCCI and IPL have been amazing in supporting us and guiding us in every decision we have made. IPL is the leader in franchise cricket by far and we can only learn from them,” Smith told PTI Bhasha in an exclusive interview here.
IPL veteran Dinesh Karthik this year became the first Indian player to feature in SA20 by appearing for Paarl Royals, who lost the second qualifier against two-time champion Sunrisers Eastern Cape in Centurion on Thursday.
When asked about the possibility of having more Indian players in future, Smith said they would love to have them if they were available, but nothing of that sort is in the pipeline as of now.
“We always said that we have worked with the BCCI to see what their views are for the future. South African cricket loves Indian cricketers. It is always a highlight for us to watch the talent of the Indian team whenever they come here to play,” said the 44-year-old former captain who led South Africa to a record 54 Test victories.
“If the Indian players were available, we would love to have them here. But nothing of that sort is in the pipeline. We always have conversations and probably at the IPL time I will be there in India. We have a very good relationship with them.
“I was lucky that I played a couple of years in the IPL. We won the first edition with Rajasthan Royals in 2008.”
The final of the third season of SA20 between MI Cape Town and Sunrisers will be the 101st match of the league that began in January 2023.
Smith couldn’t hide his emotions while recalling their work in the early days that paved the way for the entry of six IPL franchises in the league.
“When the team told me that the second qualifier was the 100th match, I got a bit emotional because of the amount of hard work that has gone into getting the SA20 where it is now.
“I started to reflect on so many things like signing our first employee, meeting the team for the first time, the first auction, and the performances we have seen over the last three years have been incredible.”
The love the league has received from fans in South Africa has emboldened Smith to take it to greater heights.
“When you are building that initial plot, every step is like achieving a goal like getting the broadcaster, building the business model, attracting the franchises. I have to thank the six IPL franchises that have helped to grow the league and manage their players. They have been very competitive and brought the best out of us,” said Smith.
The schedule of next three seasons has already been announced and no major changes in the format are expected.
“I don’t think changes are necessary at the moment. Every year we review the players’ regulations and like IPL, we were thinking about the impact player rule at one point of time.
“IPL also started making those big changes after many years. We want to keep attracting the best players and we also want South African players to get better and better,” he said.
Smith feels that the cricket ecosystem of South Africa is getting better with young exciting talent like Lhuan dre Pretorious, Kwena Mphaka and Ryan Rickelton grabbing headlines.
“We have to give credit to the system for the resurgence of the cricketing ecosystem here. With this league we have managed to create a great platform for youngsters who are rubbing shoulders with the best players in the world.”
“The world sees 15 cricketers playing for South Africa but here I can see 60 or 70 young talents coming through. Last year South Africa had the maximum number of international players in the IPL and the national team is getting better.
“So the ecosystem has now started working better. We have started school programs and talent search programs for girls, so exciting things are happening here,” he said.
When asked about his aspirations for the league, Smith said that they want to make it the number one choice in the country’s cricket calendar during South African summers.
“It’s incredible to have such a league in my own country. Our window is going to be in the summers in South Africa and we want to be the number one choice in the calendar during this period.
“We want to have the best players and definitely we want to grow and see how big we can actually get in the world of cricket,” said Smith. — (PTI)
