‘A league like that is not good for the game’ – Graeme Smith shares his critical view about ILT20

Graeme Smith & ILT20 (Source: Proteas Men/Twitter/X and Twitter)

The SA20 2025 is set to get underway today with the Sunrisers Eastern Cape going up against MI Cape Town at St George’s Park in Gqeberha. The commissioner of the tournament, South Africa’s legendary former captain Graeme Smith, has revealed that SA20 will be looking at developing the game in South Africa. Notably, Smith shared a critical viewpoint about the International League T20 (ILT20) which clashes with the South African franchise league.

Smith opined that ILT20 is not good for the game as there is no investment made towards local cricket whereas the SA20 aims to benefit the local talent in South Africa.

“We see ourselves as very different to the ILT20. We’re a South African league, with a majority of South African players and our ultimate goal is to benefit South African players. We’ve been built up against ILT20, so it’s very difficult for me to not come across like I’m bad-mouthing them, But I do feel like a league like that is not good for the game; that there’s that many international players required to build a team; there’s no investment back into local cricket. That is a challenge for the world game and something that needs to be managed going forward,” Smith said during a press conference in Cape Town.

“We’re a Full Member nation. Our priority is to put on a global league but to benefit South African cricket. That’s important for us. What we have focused on is building the SA20 to the point where we are now being recognised as one of the biggest leagues outside the IPL,” Smith added.

Also Read – SA20 2025: Schedule, Squads, Live Streaming, Broadcasters & All you need to know

Smith on the SA20 competing with the IPL

Smith also spoke on how the franchise has been competing with top franchise tournaments like the IPL where he explained the competitive nature of the tournament and the crowds they have been getting in the last two seasons.

“Being able to attract the six franchises we have. They’re very professional and very competitive. We’ve had quality local players, the best from South Africa, and some outstanding internationals. Every year when we get to this point it’s a balance of excitement and fear. We’ve worked extremely hard to get here. Two seasons in, I feel we’re an established product that has elevated itself to probably the biggest league outside of the IPL,” said Smith.

“I’ll never forget seeing you know the fan bases and the colours of each team being supported. The feedback we get globally is when people tune in, they see a happy South Africa in summer with full stadiums and incredible cricket,” Smith concluded.

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