Cricket South Africa established the franchise T20 Global League in 2017. The inaugural season was deferred by a year due to the lack of a broadcast deal and title sponsor and in June 2018 was replaced by the Mzansi Super League, a league featuring six CSA-owned teams.[5] Both the leagues became unsuccessful.[6] The MSL ran for only two seasons, the 2020 and 2021 editions being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
SA20 was established by CSA in 2022 through a newly formed entity, Africa Cricket Development (Pty) Limited (ACD). CSA is the majority stakeholder in ACD with a 50% share, while broadcaster SuperSport has a 30% share and former Indian Premier League (IPL) Chief Operating Officer Sundar Raman, the remaining 20%.[7] All six of the teams were bought by franchises from the IPL.[8] In July 2022, CSA announced that the One Day International series against Australia due to be played in January 2023 would be cancelled in order for SA20 to go ahead.[9]
In August 2022, Graeme Smith was announced as the commissioner for the tournament.[10] Later in the month, the marquee players for the first season were announced.[3]
In December 2023 Cricket South Africa announced that it would send a makeshift Test team, comprising players with little or no Test cricket experience, to its scheduled two-Test tour of New Zealand in February 2024, to allow its best players to remain in South Africa to compete in the SA20. The decision was widely criticised.[11][12]
Organisation
The six teams play each other twice in the group stages of the competition before the top four sides move to the semi-final stages.[13]
Teams acquire players through an auction as opposed to a draft, making it the third cricket league in the world after the Indian Premier League and International League T20 to do so. Each team purchases a squad of 17 players, with the opportunity of signing up to five players prior to the auction: three international players; one South African international player; and one uncapped South African player.[14][15]
Prize money
Cricket South Africa increased the prize money for the SA20 to a total of $890,000 . The prize money will be split between the teams as follows:[16]
