On Wednesday, SA20 will hold its fifth player auction ahead of the fifth season of the T20 league, starting in January. At a time when T20 franchise leagues have been mushrooming around the world, SA20 organisers have been honest enough to set their sights on becoming the No. 2 T20 league in the world after the IPL. With the IPL being the behemoth that it is today, SA20’s ambitions have been realistic. In fact, when the bids for SA20 teams were placed, all six were owned by IPL team owners. NDTV spoke with SA20 COO Lynn Naude about the league’s ambitions going forward.
Q: SA20 has been quite vocal and has gone on record saying that it wants to be the number two T20 league in the world (after IPL). So, regarding that ambition, how far do you think you have progressed?
A: I think it’s about ambition on the one side, but I also think it’s about standards. I think the IPL obviously set a very important benchmark for franchise cricket, but we’re a young league. When we made that statement, it was a clear goal for us to keep ourselves honest in terms of the quality we wanted to deliver every single season, whether that was the cricket, the fan experience, the broadcast, or how we run the league.
So, in terms of that ambition, it’s not so much that that’s the end goal. The end goal for us is really to try to build a strong, sustainable, world-class league that serves South African cricket and our fans into the future. Each season, we’ve seen growth, and all trends are moving in the right direction. However, each season gets tougher and tougher, and maintaining that progress is a challenge.
Q: How far have the teams progressed in becoming financially viable?
A: I think each season has been better than the last. The brands needed time to establish themselves in South Africa, but one positive for me, both from a cricket and franchise perspective, is that we’ve seen new brands investing in cricket and sport in general, with much of that investment coming through cricket.
Within the South African landscape, some new corporates are getting involved in cricket and starting to invest. Coupled with the strong attendance figures we’ve achieved, which are obviously positive for the bottom line, everything is moving in the right direction for franchises at the moment. We’re optimistic that if we continue doing what we do well, things will work out for all stakeholders.
Q: This partnership with IPL teams, with all the owners having IPL links. Was it a conscious decision, or did it just happen?
A: It wasn’t a conscious decision at all. It was a closed bidding process at the beginning, ahead of Season 1, and those were simply the strongest bids that came through.
In some ways, it has been a superpower for us. Our franchises have held our hands as we’ve grown. Some of them now have 20 years of experience in this space. The fact that we had such a strong ownership group, and one that was both stable and established, helped us make good decisions early on based on what they’d learned over the years.
So, it’s all worked out really well for us. Credit also goes to the franchises for the way they’ve embraced the South African fan.
As they’ve built their brands in South Africa, they’ve really catered to South African supporters. That affinity grew very quickly. One of my biggest surprises was how strong the connection between fans and teams became after just one season. That bond has only grown stronger with each passing year.
Q: Do you plan to expand the league? Perhaps add a new team? There’s been some talk about it.
A: I think when the time is right, we’ll look at that. Right now, our focus is on building a strong, sustainable league. There are several factors that need to align before we start looking at adding new teams.
For now, it’s about strengthening the current league, sticking to what we know, and continuing to do well what we’re already doing. Then we’ll consider expansion when the time is right. There are many factors involved, including scheduling windows and other logistical considerations. It’s not a decision that can be made quickly.
Q: In the growth of SA20 and South African cricket over the last few years, Graeme Smith has played a big role.
A: Yes, I think his leadership has been central to SA20. He’s brought credibility and a clear vision.
He has a deep understanding of what players want, and he’s set very high standards from day one. As a former captain, he’s always kept South African cricket at the heart of the league.
For him, leaving South African cricket in a strong position would be a significant legacy, and it’s clear that’s the perspective he’s coming from. He’s built a strong team around him.
We’ve got strong commercial partners and strong franchises, and he has the ability to bring everyone together and move in the same direction as we continue building this league.
It’s been a privilege to work alongside him.
Q: How do you see SA20 contributing further to the development of South Africa’s talent pool?
A: It’s interesting that you referenced the auction because, as we head into our fifth season, we’ve spent some time reflecting on the previous four seasons. Seeing some of the young players who were rookies in the first season now becoming key members of not only the Proteas team but also their franchise teams is incredibly rewarding.
Building bench strength for South African cricket is one of the primary reasons SA20 exists. It’s a tremendous opportunity. One of the initiatives we’ve introduced is the requirement that each franchise has two South African players under the age of 23. That guarantees young players exposure to a world-class environment and the opportunity to share dressing rooms with international stars and experienced professionals.
Two seasons ago, we also launched our schools competition, a national tournament involving more than 600 schools. We’ve already had two players progress directly from school cricket into the auction and then into franchise teams. Through initiatives like these, we’re able to create a ripple effect across the South African cricket ecosystem and help build greater depth and strength for the future
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