CSA will launch an eight-franchise, #T20 Global League in the last quarter of 2017.

In their attempts to match up to the likes of the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash League in Australia, CSA are looking to move on from the spot-fixing scandal that a put a cloud over the Ram Slam T20 Challenge in 2015-16, and introduce more hype, more spectators and more international players to the #T20 Global League.

A tender was issued worldwide on Saturday to see who would could potentially be interested to buy a franchise. The deadline for ‘Expressions of Interest’ is on Friday, 3 March. 

The announcement of the global tender for the new #T20 Global League comes after the CSA President, Chris Nenzani, and Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat, informed the ICC and Member nations attending the ICC meetings in Dubai this week.

‘Our vision is to drive the creation of a new #T20 destination league in South Africa that would energise the sport of cricket in South Africa by creating a global platform for the best-in-class to perform and showcase their talent to a global audience,’ commented Nenzani.

‘We have received a very favourable response to our plans from the ICC and Member Boards and look to their support in our endeavour. We now look forward to another exciting chapter in the evolution of South African cricket and to the whole game benefitting from our new #T20 Global League,’ added Nenzani.

‘Today is a landmark day for Cricket South Africa. Early feedback from the marketplace suggests that there is tremendous interest in our Global Destination League from around the globe,’ Lorgat said on the announcement.

“We have taken our time and worked hard to reach the point where we are now ready to play in the global #T20 arena,’ Lorgat continued.

‘This new #T20 Global Destination League offers great opportunities for investment in South Africa and South African cricket, and we are excited by the number of local and international superstars that will feature in the league. We are also confident that the window we have chosen will make it possible for franchises to attract top class players to South Africa,’ Lorgat concluded.

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