ILT20 ‘not good for the game’ – Smith

The South Africa T20 league, SA20, and the DP World International League T20 (ILT20) are both set to bowl off this weekend, the latter in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). But SA20 commissioner Graeme Smith is of the opinion that T20 franchise leagues which do not field a majority of locally based players are “not good for the game.”

Smith argued that what sets the SA20 apart is how rooted it is in the South African system and what it does for the country’s cricket. The ILT20 includes approximately 20 West Indian players.

“We see ourselves as very different to the ILT20,” said Smith. “We’re a South African league, with a majority of South African players and our ultimate goal is to benefit South African players.

“We’ve been built up against ILT20, so it’s very difficult for me to not come across like I’m bad-mouthing them, but I do feel like a league like that is not good for the game; that there’s that many international players required to build a team; there’s no investment back into local cricket. That is a challenge for the world game and something that needs to be managed going forward.”

While the SA20 follows an IPL-style model that allows for teams to field four internationals per XI, the ILT20 allows a maximum of nine internationals. All six SA20 squads are restricted to 19 players, must contain a minimum of 11 South African players and international places in the squads are limited to seven.

SA20 also requires teams to contract a South African under the age of 22 who has not been contracted to the tournament before. The ILT20 requires that at least two UAE players are included in the playing XI and four in the squad overall, and that squads contract two players from Associate nations, who do not get any special provision in the SA20.

For Smith, the SA20’s focus is on developing as much local talent as possible while also offering international players the opportunity for tough competition.

“We’re a Full Member nation. Our priority is to put on a global league, but to benefit South African cricket. That’s important for us,” he said. “What we have focused on is building the SA20 to the point where we are now being recognised as one of the biggest leagues outside the IPL.

“That’s important for us, and that’s the feedback we’re getting. And what we’ve seen from a player group is that this is where players want to play because it’s competitive, there’s good crowds, the standard of cricket is good, and this is the place to come and challenge yourself.”

The SA20 has attracted Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, New Zealand’s Trent Boult, and two of England’s most high-profile Test players for this season, Joe Root and Johnny Bairstow.

But former SA20 players like Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard have made the move to ILT20, along with the likes of Windies captain Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Johnson Charles, and Shai Hope.

This year, the SA20 started a schools league for both boys and girls from September 2024 to March 2025. They have hired former national assistant coach Vincent Barnes to work on the project, which includes over 500 schools. They have also run camps for Under-19 women’s cricketers ahead of the age-group World Cup.

For its part, the ILT20 launched a development tournament ahead of its second season, which ran in Dubai and for which more than 300 local players signed up to the draft.

The other measurable comparison between the two leagues is fan engagement. Last season, the SA20 boasted 10 sold out matches and 70 per cent of the overall tickets available were sold while the ILT20 reported a 300 per cent increase in stadium attendances.

(ESPNCricinfo)