SA20 organisers are confident about the league’s growing stature and are not worried about competition from Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL). Commissioner Graeme Smith shared that the tournament has already built a solid foundation.

He pointed out that SA20 has quickly gained recognition, both locally and internationally, with strong fan engagement and quality performances from players across the globe. This growth, according to Smith, has given the league a secure position in the cricketing calendar.

With the BBL aiming to become the second-largest T20 competition after the IPL, Smith emphasized that SA20’s vision remains focused on sustainability and long-term impact. He believes the league has already made significant strides to hold its own.

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Graeme Smith on Impact of SA20:

The SA20’s fourth season starts on Boxing Day, with all six teams owned by IPL investors. With a salary cap of R41 million (US$2.31 million), the league stands second only to the IPL in financial strength.

Commissioner Graeme Smith said strong franchise support makes SA20 one of the leading global T20 leagues. With a marquee auction scheduled for September 9, he emphasized the organisers’ commitment to maintaining this status. Smith discussed these details with ESPNcricinfo before player registrations closed for the upcoming SA20 auction.

He said, “ When we started we were built up against the ILT20 and Big Bash and we set ourselves big ambitions upfront. In the southern hemisphere window we want to dominate and we want to be the biggest league outside the IPL. Three years in, we've set the standard. Every decision we make is around making sure that we uphold those standards.”

He added, “ I expect there will be a top number of leagues that will elevate themselves in a calendar cycle and that will be the priority for players, investors and fans. Our ambitions are to remain right at the top of that alongside IPL.”

CA targets second spot with BBL privatisation plans:

Smith’s remarks follow closely after Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg stated on SEN radio that his board would “openly” pursue the position of the world’s second-biggest T20 league. Greenberg mentioned that they are considering the option of privatisation as part of their strategy to elevate the Big Bash League’s status in global cricket.

Todd Greenberg said, “ It's going to be very hard to chase the IPL, given the scale of cricket in India, but unashamedly, we want to run a league that comes second. And to do that we're going to need to make sure that player availability and player salaries are commensurate with everything else that goes on around the world, and there's one thing you need for that, you need money, you need investment. We'd be naive if we weren't asking ourselves these questions and making sure we've got an eye on what's next.”

The BBL’s decision to explore private investment marks it as the last major T20 league to move beyond board-controlled funding. Recently, The Hundred followed a similar path, finalising ownership deals for six of its eight franchises ahead of the upcoming season.

While The Hundred’s developments don’t directly impact SA20 due to their separate schedules, the BBL presents a different challenge. Since the BBL coincides with the SA20, the overlap could lead to competition for recognition and, more importantly, for player availability. This clash of windows may create tough choices for cricketers and potentially spark a rivalry between the leagues.

Smith backs SA20 priority over international commitments:

Graeme Smith stays optimistic about SA20 despite BBL competition. Unlike Australia, whose league runs alongside their international summer and often misses Test stars, South Africa ensures all its contracted and national players prioritize the SA20, even ahead of international fixtures.

An example came last year when South Africa fielded a weakened Test squad against New Zealand to protect the SA20. Though this decision drew criticism, South Africa later won the World Test Championship final. Smith believes this outcome shows that with proper planning, international cricket and franchise leagues can successfully co-exist without diminishing either format.

He said, “ Everyone was worried that we were going to destroy Test cricket but we've seen our national team go on a few years later to win the World Test Championship final. We've all played our role in the ecosystem. We've been part of bringing gravitas back to South African cricket, seeing new fans come back to the game and new energy.”

The SA20 has also drawn international stars, including several English Test players who joined last season during their winter break. Although this year’s Ashes series may limit such participation, Graeme Smith remains optimistic about attracting a strong group of overseas players, ensuring the league continues to feature global talent alongside South Africa’s top domestic and national cricketers.

He further said, “ In the first two seasons we saw a lot of the England white-ball players come through and then with the FTP ebbing and flowing every year that changes. So this year with the Ashes, we see some of those white ball players come back and maybe the Test players won't form part of this season.”

He added, “ The Ashes finishes on the ninth (of January, 2026). I don't know if some of their players will form part of replacement lists but we've seen the likes of a Jos Butler come back into the tournament this year as an example.”

SA20 Season Four Set During Festive Period:

Jos Buttler, previously with Paarl Royals, has been signed by Durban Super Giants for SA20 season four. Franchises could retain or pre-sign up to six players, and of the 36 available slots, only 13 went to South African players, which Graeme Smith expects will make the upcoming auction highly competitive.

Smith said, “ I expected a lot more top South African players to pre-sign and that didn't happen. From our perspective it's set up a very exciting auction with a very big purse.”

The SA20’s fourth season will take place during the festive period, with no home Tests scheduled in South Africa this summer. Matches won’t use the new drop-in pitches planned for the 2027 ODI World Cup, but Graeme Smith hopes the break from cricket will produce livelier surfaces than last year, which showed noticeable wear.

He added, “ The pitches last year didn't play as well as we would have liked and it's something that's being worked on in terms of revamping stadiums and facilities ahead of the World Cup. We're working closely with Cricket South Africa in terms of improving the quality of stadiums, lights and pitches. Everything is a big work in progress behind the scenes.”

The SA20 player auction is scheduled for September 9 in Johannesburg, with the registration window closing earlier on Monday, August 18. Cricketers aiming to feature in the fourth season must complete their registrations before this deadline, allowing franchises to prepare for the upcoming auction and finalise their squads ahead of the festive period tournament.