League commissioner Graeme Smith said season three of the Betway SA20 will be even more competitive than previous versions given the abundance of talent signed up for the tournament starting in less than 50 days.
The event’s third instalment will more than likely be its best one yet, with a host of international stars, including Ben Stokes (MI Cape Town), Kane Williamson (Durban’s Super Giants), and former Indian international cricketer Dinesh Karthik (Paarl Royals), to name just a few stars expected to compete at venues around the country.
Back-to-back champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape will once again be the team to beat as they chase an unprecedented treble of SA20 crowns.
Having snuck into the playoffs with just six group-stage wins, they would eventually go on to lift the trophy in season one.
In season two, the Orange Army had a much more measured campaign. They won nine of their 12 group games and defeated DSG in both the first qualifier and again in the final to retain the crown.
They have again been very minimalistic in their approach to the player auction, adding Richard Gleeson, Okuhle Cele and rookie pick Daniel Smith, to the squad which had for the most part been populated during the pre-signing and retention window.
“Every year, the Betway SA20 surprises me, but I’ve realised that it’s not about my strategy, it’s about the teams,” Smith said in his blog for Betway recently.
“They have a very different way of looking at players and strategies, and every year their scouting gets better in SA.
“I’ve also learnt as the Betway SA20 commissioner that the game is not played on paper.
“At Betway SA20, our whole objective is to build a league that is equally competitive across the board.
“If we can get down to the last week and all six teams have a chance to qualify, then we feel like we’ve done our job well,” Smith said.
With the squads now completed, Smith stopped short of saying who he felt was the strongest, saying it would be anyone’s guess as to who would come out on top in season three.
“If you look at the teams across the board, with the top South African players and international talent per team, it’s shaping up to be a really exciting tournament.
“The rookies will be another exciting element to watch, and now we’re seeing even more real quality added with the likes of Ben Stokes, Kane Williamson and Devon Conway [among many others].
“As a fan of cricket, do I look forward to the prospect of Marco Jansen running in at Ben Stokes in Cape Town? Of course [I do],” he remarked.
Season one’s first delivery saw world champion Englishmen Jofra Archer and Jos Buttler go head-to-head, a feat that Smith said was a watershed moment for what the league had already achieved at that point.
“It's just incredible that we’ve been able to build a league for fans in SA and around the world to watch those moments happen,” he said.
HeraldLIVE
Teams will be highly competitive in SA20 season three — Smith
Abundance of talent signed up for 2025 tournament
Sports reporter
Image: Shaun Roy/Sportzpics/SA20
League commissioner Graeme Smith said season three of the Betway SA20 will be even more competitive than previous versions given the abundance of talent signed up for the tournament starting in less than 50 days.
The event’s third instalment will more than likely be its best one yet, with a host of international stars, including Ben Stokes (MI Cape Town), Kane Williamson (Durban’s Super Giants), and former Indian international cricketer Dinesh Karthik (Paarl Royals), to name just a few stars expected to compete at venues around the country.
Back-to-back champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape will once again be the team to beat as they chase an unprecedented treble of SA20 crowns.
Having snuck into the playoffs with just six group-stage wins, they would eventually go on to lift the trophy in season one.
In season two, the Orange Army had a much more measured campaign. They won nine of their 12 group games and defeated DSG in both the first qualifier and again in the final to retain the crown.
They have again been very minimalistic in their approach to the player auction, adding Richard Gleeson, Okuhle Cele and rookie pick Daniel Smith, to the squad which had for the most part been populated during the pre-signing and retention window.
“Every year, the Betway SA20 surprises me, but I’ve realised that it’s not about my strategy, it’s about the teams,” Smith said in his blog for Betway recently.
“They have a very different way of looking at players and strategies, and every year their scouting gets better in SA.
“I’ve also learnt as the Betway SA20 commissioner that the game is not played on paper.
“At Betway SA20, our whole objective is to build a league that is equally competitive across the board.
“If we can get down to the last week and all six teams have a chance to qualify, then we feel like we’ve done our job well,” Smith said.
With the squads now completed, Smith stopped short of saying who he felt was the strongest, saying it would be anyone’s guess as to who would come out on top in season three.
“If you look at the teams across the board, with the top South African players and international talent per team, it’s shaping up to be a really exciting tournament.
“The rookies will be another exciting element to watch, and now we’re seeing even more real quality added with the likes of Ben Stokes, Kane Williamson and Devon Conway [among many others].
“As a fan of cricket, do I look forward to the prospect of Marco Jansen running in at Ben Stokes in Cape Town? Of course [I do],” he remarked.
Season one’s first delivery saw world champion Englishmen Jofra Archer and Jos Buttler go head-to-head, a feat that Smith said was a watershed moment for what the league had already achieved at that point.
“It's just incredible that we’ve been able to build a league for fans in SA and around the world to watch those moments happen,” he said.
HeraldLIVE
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