Cricket South Africa to discuss Global T20 League future with franchise owners

Global T20 League, the South African T20 tournament, was postponed last October for the absence of a broadcast deal among other reasons

With no guarantee over the future of the first edition of the Global T20 League, Cricket South Africa (CSA) has decided to engage with the owners of the franchises to see if the tournament ‘is still feasible’.

Players and owners at last year’s T20 Global League launch in London. The future of the tournament remains uncertain due to a number of reasons. (Gallo Images)

According to ESPNCricinfo, the eight owners of the proposed T20 tournament’s franchises have had very less communication from the South African cricket board ever since the event was postponed last October.

Each of the eight franchise owners (includes three from IPL, two from PSL and one from South Africa) had paid a refundable deposit of USD 250,000 for making successful team bids. The money, according to the report, has been with the CSA, but the owners have been concerned about both the money and the future of the Global T20 League.

One of the reasons for CSA to discuss the tournament’s future with the franchise owners was considering the possibility of a collective claim from the owners. It is expected that a collective claim would also include an amount for losses if the league falls apart.

The report added that a final decision regarding approaching the franchise owners will be made after an eight-member CSA task team presents its report on the tournament’s ‘financial viability in both local and international markets’.

In February, the CSA had also presented its members council with the proposal to sell off the league entirely, with the other proposal being the South African cricket body owning and running the league.

Interestingly, SuperSport, which holds telecast rights in South Africa, an Indian businessman as well as one of the eight franchise owners had together put out a joint bid.