I would love to see more Indian players involved in SA20: AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers. (Photo Source: Twitter)

The third edition of SA20 will commence from January 9 and the league has garnered much attention in small span of time. Though the cricketers from every country take part in the league, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s rule to not allow Indian cricketers to play in other leagues has kept them away from taking part in the league.

Former India wicketkeeper-batter, Dinesh Karthik, who announced his retirement from international cricket and domestic cricket in 2024, he will be the first Indian cricketer to take part in the league. Former South Africa batter, AB de Villiers welcomed the news of Karthik competing in the league but also wished to see more Indian cricketers to fight it out in the tournament.

“I would love to see more Indian players involved. We know Dinesh Karthik will be here this year which is fantastic and it’s great for the tournament. And hopefully the BCCI will allow us to get more Indian players in the future to come and join the fun of the SA20,” said de Villiers in a select media interaction.

“We (SA20) can just keep growing with regards to the overseas players. That’s a large part of the success of the IPL over the years and I’ve followed the IPL since 2008. It’s every year the overseas contingents seem to get stronger and stronger. You get the best players in the world and the best players in India and that combination makes for great cricket. So I think for Graeme Smith and his team moving forward it’s just to keep pushing hard, as hard as they can (to get the best overseas talent),” de Villiers added.

The 2025 edition of SA20 will feature six teams, all vying for the coveted title.

Here are the participating teams:

Sunrisers Eastern Cape
MI Cape Town
Durban’s Super Giants
Pretoria Capitals
Joburg Super Kings
Paarl Royals

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