South African cricket will never be the same again!

By Andile & Mandla Dladla

South African cricket is taking big step in growing and spreading the game to all corners of the country and hopefully the rest of the world.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has followed in the direction of the famous Indian Premier League (IPL) by inviting some if not the best cricketers in the world to take part in this new league format.

And fans can look out for explosive batting and world class bowling in 2023 during January and February where six franchises will have a chance of becoming the first winners of the tournament.

Local franchise owners for the South African T20 League confirmed that development plans and growth would be the key criteria for bidder selection.

On Wednesday 20 July in Johannesburg – the six franchise owners for South Africa’s T20 League were confirmed following a rigorous process over the past few months.

The open bid process, managed by Deloitte Corporate Finance revealed they attracted over 29 entities who all expressed a desire and interest in owning a franchise worldwide.

Over 10 venues were made available for interested bidders to own a franchise and all 10 of them received expressions of interest.

The six successful bidders who will be part of this significant chapter of South African cricket are:

Newlands Cape Town (Reliance Industries Limited), owners of Mumbai Indians.

Kingsmead, Durban (RPSG Sports Private Limited), owners of Lucknow Super Giants.

St George’s Park, Gqeberha (Sun TV Network Limited), owners of Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Wanderers, Johannesburg (Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited), owners of Chennai Super Kings.

Boland Park, Paarl (Royals Sports Group), owners of Rajasthan Royals.

SuperSport Park, Pretoria (JSW Sports), co-owners of Delhi Capitals.

All six successful bidders have extensive experience in operating franchises across multiple sports disciplines and deep cricketing expertise through their ownership in the world’s leading T20 tournament, the Indian Premier League.

Commenting on the selection process, the Commissioner for the new league, Graeme Smith said: “We are thrilled to welcome our new franchise owners to the South African League.

“This is truly an exciting time for South African cricket. The
overwhelming responses of interest shows that the country remains valued in the global cricketing eco-system.

“A robust bidding process was followed to select the final six owners, the decision was informed by a scorecard based on various criteria to ensure the utmost professionalism, independence, and objectivity to the process.

“I would like to thank Deloitte as our advisors for doing a thoroughly
professional job in helping South African cricket find partners who add substantial value to our game.

“The strong sports background of the respective owners and the global brands they manage ensures that South African cricket and the broader industry will benefit from their expertise and resources,
as they bring stability and experience to the League.”
South African cricket enters a new and exciting phase.