SA20 is turning out to be a massive success: Graeme Smith

Following the tremendous success of the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the years, T-20 cricket leagues are being formed in different cricketing nations, or where the game is very popular. One such league is SA20, the Twenty20 franchise cricket tournament in South Africa, organised by Cricket South Africa.

The inaugural edition of the SA20 has been an enthralling experience for fans not only in South Africa, but across the globe. The popularity of the league with its carnival styled theme has not only provided entertainment to fans, but also provided brands and advertisers a new engaging channel to enter into.

Graeme Smith, League Commissioner of the SA20, is set on making the league the biggest and most vibrant cricket tournament after the IPL. With heavy investments from India-based companies, there has been a positive response from brands and broadcasters across the globe, with credit going to the IPL based franchises which have bought the available teams in the SA20 league.

In conversation with Adgully, Graeme Smith speaks about the main purpose of the league, brand and advertiser response to the tournament, the cricketing scenario in South Africa, and more.

How would you assess the performance of the league so far? The BCCI has expressed some concern over how the teams are treating the tournament as an extension of the IPL, with similar logos and jerseys.

SA20 is turning out to be a massive success. We’ve obviously got a long way to go before finishing the tournament strong. But I think the cricket has been outstanding. We’ve been blessed with some really great young individual performances here in South Africa – from both South African and international players.

So far there has been an amazing energy from our fans in South Africa at all the stadiums around the country. To be able to capture their imagination, after what has been quite a negative period in the game in South Africa, has been incredible.

We are in a close relationship with the BCCI and are in consistent communications with them, and nothing of the sorts has been raised with us regarding the issues that you mentioned.

How do you see the SA20 League giving South African cricket a lift over the long run?

I think everyone focuses on the commercial aspect, which is crucial. You can’t pull off something at this level unless you have got really great partners and the financial capability. One of the objectives was to deliver a commercially sustainable league to cricket in South Africa. I think it’s well documented that the performances of the national team and the general negativity surrounding the game – such as some player being in the headlines for the wrong reasons, the politics and sort of distress at the admin level have taken their toll on the fans. I think there certainly has been a fatigue or negativity towards cricket in South Africa.

When we started SA20, one of our objectives was to revive the fans and bring some energy back into the game. And I think we’ve certainly seen that in the first two weeks of the tournament. The support that we have received has been incredible – be it a Monday night or a Tuesday night, the stadiums have been full. We are hoping that this energy that people in South Africa have got for SA20 will rub off on cricket in South Africa and support for team Proteas.

You have previously spoken about respecting BCCI’s decision on Indian players. But retired players have been part of overseas Leagues. So, do you see someone like an MS Dhoni being part of the League when he’s done with CSK?

It will be amazing to have a player like MSD, as I said, we always work with and respect the BCCI’s decisions. And I think that the fact that we’ve created a really good working relationship with them is great. They are hugely experienced in doing these types of events such as the IPL, the World Cup, etc. And I think it’s a very important relationship to have for SA20. From our perspective, one thing that we really wanted to build was a vibrant, young, up and coming, really competitive cricket League. So, someone like an MSD would certainly add a lot of value to our league, he has been able to perform and maintain performance for a very long time and is extremely professional and will up the level of the league.

SA20 is very new and hence, there is a lot of excitement over it. But a few years down the line, how do you maintain the interest of the fans and bring in a consistent crowd for the League?

It wasn’t long ago that everyone was telling me you wouldn’t fill Season 1. But we have been able to create some energy. The goal is to get South African players to a level where we can attract the best international talent. People want to watch superstars play in great teams. Our goal is to always challenge ourselves to make sure that we can get better and better and to make sure that the tournament stays a success for many years to come.