On Tuesday, Sky Sports and SA20 announced a new five-year rights agreement that will add South Africa’s premier Twenty20 cricket league to their cricket portfolio.
The competition is anticipated to excite local and worldwide cricket fans and draw new audiences of all ages when it begins on 10 January 2023.
Four weeks, 33 matches, and six global franchises will be broadcast for the first time on Sky Sports cricket channels, showcasing the live action of 102 world-class players, including members of England’s World Cup-winning squad, such as captain Jos Buttler, and the now most expensive IPL player, Sam Curran.
Six privately-owned teams will play each other twice in a round-robin stage before the semifinals and final, which will be shown live on Sky Sports.
These teams are competing: Durban’s Super Giants (Kingsmead), Joburg Super Kings (Wanderers), MI Cape Town (Newlands), Paarl Royals (Boland Park), Pretoria Capitals (SuperSport Park), and Sunrisers Eastern Cape (St George’s Park).
During the R125 million player auction, the six teams completed their 17-man rosters.
Each team is permitted to deploy up to four international players per match, providing ample opportunities for native Proteas stars and fresh local talent to shine alongside the world’s best.
SEVERAL BIG-NAME PLAYERS HAVE SIGNED UP FOR SA20
The SA20 event is supported by some of the most well-known T20 teams in the globe, with numerous IPL powerhouses stepping out to develop an even stronger international presence.
SA20 League Commissioner Graeme Smith exclaimed, “We’re happy to extend coverage of SA20 to Sky Sports’ vast audience.” This is a historic agreement that will expand our global footprint prior to our January 10 debut.”
Director of Cricket at Sky Sports, Bryan Henderson, stated, “We are happy to add the SA20 to our portfolio of cricket rights. We feel it will be a fantastic competition with some of the greatest English players.”
Sky Sports welcomes the SA20 as a new prominent event on the globe T20 cricket calendar, allowing current, new, and younger generations of cricket fans to witness some of the finest players compete on the global stage.
In addition, Sky Sports will broadcast the three England One-Day Internationals taking place in South Africa on January 27, January 29, and February 1, 2023.
»Sky Sports obtains the rights to the new South African Twenty20 Cricket League«