Sky Sports and SA20 have announced a new five-year rights deal which will see SA’s premier T20 cricket league added to their portfolio. Image: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix.
Sky Sports acquires rights for new SA20 T20 cricket league
Sky Sports and SA20 have announced a new five-year rights deal which will see SA’s premier T20 cricket league added to their portfolio.
Sky Sports and SA20 have announced a new five-year rights deal which will see SA’s premier T20 cricket league added to their portfolio. Image: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix.
Sky Sports and SA20 on Tuesday announced a new five-year rights deal which will see South Africa’s premier T20 cricket league added to their cricket portfolio.
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Beginning on 10 January 2023, the tournament is set to thrill local and international cricket fans and attract new audiences of all ages.
Four weeks, 33 matches, six global franchises will be broadcast across Sky Sports cricket channels for the first time, showcasing the live action from 102 world class players including some of England’s World Cup winning squad, such as captain Jos Buttler, and the now most expensive IPL player, Sam Curran.
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The league features six privately-owned teams who will play each other twice in a round-robin stage before the semis and final, live on Sky Sports.
The competing teams are: Durban’s Super Giants (Kingsmead), Joburg Super Kings (Wanderers), MI Cape Town (Newlands), Paarl Royals (Boland Park), Pretoria Capitals (SuperSport Park) and Sunrisers Eastern Cape (St George’s Park).
The six teams finalised their 17-member squads during the R125 million player auction.
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Each team is allowed to field up to four international players in a match, giving plenty of opportunities for homegrown Proteas stars and young local talent to shine while playing alongside the best in the world.
Several big-name players have signed up for SA20
The SA20 event has the backing of some of the most recognised T20 franchises in the world, with several IPL strongholds branching out to establish an even greater international footprint.
SA20 League Commissioner, Graeme Smith said: “We’re delighted to extend the coverage of SA20 to Sky Sports’ extensive fan base. This is a landmark deal which will grow our global footprint ahead of our launch on 10 January.”
Bryan Henderson, Director of Cricket at Sky Sports said: “We are thrilled to add the SA20 to our portfolio of cricket rights. We believe it will be a terrific competition with some of the best English players involved.”
The SA20 is welcomed to Sky Sports as a new leading event on the world T20 cricket schedule, enabling access for both current, new and a younger generation of cricket fans to watch some of the greatest players perform on the global stage.
In addition, Sky Sports will also broadcast the three England ODI’s taking place in South Africa on 27 and 29 January, and 1 February, 2023.
