Six Indian Premier League franchise owners have got bids for the 6-teams in the Cricket South Africa (CSA) ‘s next 2023 T20 league.
Reliance Industries Limited, JSW Sports, Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited, Sun TV, Royals Sports Group, and RPSG Sports Private Limited are the 6-IPL team holders that got the bids.
“The six franchise owners for South Africa’s T20 league have been confirmed following a rigorous process over the past few months,” the CSA released a statement Wednesday.
Based on the IPL format, CSA T-20 is one of the several cricketing competitions emerging across the globe.
Reliance Industries Limited, which owns Mumbai Indians (MI), IPL’s most victorious team, bought the Newlands, Cape Town franchise, while JSW Sports, owners of Delhi Capitals(DC) in IPL, captured Pretoria.
“We are excited to take the Mumbai Indians’ brand of fearless and entertaining cricket to South Africa, a nation that loves cricket as much as we do in India. South Africa has a strong sporting ecosystem, and we look forward to exploring the power and potential of this collaboration,” Nita Ambani, director of Reliance Industries and one of the owners of Mumbai Indians, has been quoted as saying.
6️⃣ Franchises
6️⃣ Home venues
1️⃣ World Class eventSomething BIG is coming…🏏 pic.twitter.com/oUf4Jaxugw
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) July 21, 2022
Chennai Super Kings Sports Limited bought the Johannesburg franchise with the highest bid at the informal auction. Meanwhile, the owners of Sunrisers Hyderabad, Sun TV, bought the Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) franchise.
“We have been evaluating new global opportunities over the past few years. We felt this T-20 league in South Africa would be highly competitive, and it is a great opportunity for us to give back to the sport. It would also help us spot new talent,” Chennai Super Kings CEO K.S. Viswanathan said.
RPSG Sports and Royals Sports Group will have their teams based out of Durban, Kingsmead, and Boland Park, Paarl.
Graeme Smith, head of CSA T-20
The CSA’s report also said, “The open bid process, managed by Deloitte Corporate Finance, enticed over 29 entities who expressed interest in owning a permit worldwide. Over ten venues were available for interested owners to own a franchise, and all ten obtained expressions of interest.”
Former South African skipper Graeme Smith has declared Tuesday as the chief of the CSA’s T20 league.
“I’m deeply committed to South African cricket and happy to serve the game as best I can. I’m excited by the opportunity to deliver the new league, which I believe will be an extremely competitive product, one that can bring the much-needed investment into the game and provide new opportunities for players around the world and, more importantly, to our SA homegrown talent,” said Smith.
The IPL is, at present, one of the most precious sports leagues in the world, with its streaming and TV rights for the upcoming 5-years selling at Rs 48,390 crore. Experts have notable that IPL owners’ concern in CSA T-20 will only boost the franchise’s brand value.