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As SA20 looks forward to fifth season, Graeme Smith unfazed by imminent clash with England series in same window
SA20 league commissioner Graeme Smith confirmed expansion remains on the agenda, but clarified that it will not take place before 2031.
Despite a few washed-out games and rain-affected matches in the first half of the season, a window shift to align with South Africa’s holiday period did not impact viewership or stadium footfalls in the fourth edition of the SA20. At the halfway stage, league commissioner Graeme Smith had already declared it the league’s most commercially successful season.
And even though Sunrisers Eastern Cape emerged as familiar champions at the end of the month-long grind — clinching their third title in four years, having finished runners-up in 2025 — Smith labelled it the "most competitive season" the SA20 has witnessed. He cited the “hundreds, hat-tricks, close finishes and even Super Overs” that entertained fans both locally and globally.
Come 2027, SA20 will return to its traditional January–February window, Smith confirmed, but a familiar challenge awaits.
In 2024, the second edition of the SA20, held between January 10 and February 10, clashed with South Africa’s two-Test tour of New Zealand, which began with a warm-up fixture on January 29. With Cricket South Africa holding a majority stake in the league, players were required to prioritise the SA20 over national duty.
As a result, CSA sent an understrength Test squad to New Zealand, captained by Neil Brand, who was yet to make his Test debut. Of the 14-man touring party, seven players were uncapped, while the remaining half had a combined experience of just 50 Test matches.
It marked a new reality for South African cricket and drew criticism from across the cricketing world. That issue is set to resurface next year, with England scheduled to tour South Africa between December 2026 and February 2027 for a full series. However, the SA20’s plans remain unaffected — and Smith is unfazed.
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Responding to a Hindustan Times query during a select media interaction organised by SA20, the former South Africa captain revealed that the league has already received the green light from CSA for its January–February window for the fifth season.
“We’ve already announced our window in consultation with Cricket South Africa. Test matches will take place around Boxing Day and New Year’s, and we’ll remain in our usual SA20 window, as we have every year. We worked extensively with CSA before announcing this and continue to do so. Their calendar is busy, especially with the build-up to the 2027 World Cup, but we remain in close coordination,” Smith said.
England are expected to play three Tests, three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) against South Africa, with the tour likely to begin in late December.
Expansion is on the cards, but not an immediate priority
Amid the league’s rapid rise in just four seasons, Smith has frequently been asked whether the SA20 plans to expand to eight or more teams. While he confirmed expansion remains on the agenda, he clarified that it will not take place before 2031.
“We won’t expand for another five years. That’s the commitment we made to the six original franchises who invested in the league. We do get approached regularly because other regions in South Africa want to experience the SA20, but expansion involves several factors. During the off-season, we’ll sit down with our shareholders and have those discussions. Expansion will happen at some point, but it has to be done right,” he said.
Smith then outlined the challenges SA20 and Cricket South Africa must address before any expansion, including securing a longer window, ensuring sufficient player depth, and attracting suitable investors.
“There are challenges and important discussions to be had. If you expand, you need a longer tournament, which means working around windows and the Future Tours Programme. You’re constantly coordinating with Cricket South Africa — who’s touring, what the schedule looks like — and post-2027, the cycle changes again.
You also have to consider depth. Adding two teams means finding 25 to 30 more South African players. Is the depth there immediately, or does it need time to develop? Then there are venues and investors. We do get interest, but it’s a complex process. Once Cricket South Africa and our shareholders align on the direction, we’ll do the work,” he explained.
