Former South Africa captain and SA20 League Commissioner Graeme Smith believes the franchise T20 competition can take a cue from the Indian Premier League (IPL) when it comes to broadcast and player marketing. Speaking at the SA20 India Day event, Smith emphasised that South African cricket must work on building its own set of “heroes” to connect deeply with fans — both domestically and globally.
“One thing that we would like to build in South Africa is the heroes. In India, you’ve got so many incredible players who have built the game through the fans’ support for them,” Smith said. “That’s something we are working hard on — to make the next generation of South African players resonate with fans in South Africa, India, and around the world. That comes with performance, but also with strong broadcaster marketing around it. That’s an area we can certainly learn from the IPL,” he added.
‘Impact Player’ rule and player development take priority, says Graeme Smith
Smith also said that while the SA20 League has considered introducing the IPL-style ‘Impact Player’ rule, the current focus remains on developing quality all-rounders. “We haven’t implemented the ‘impact player’ yet because developing all-rounders is more important for us right now. We’re still a young league, just three years old, and as we grow, we’ll evaluate innovations like the IPL has,” Smith noted.
He highlighted that South African cricket is still in a developmental phase and needs to nurture talent to compete consistently at the top level. “India could easily field two or three international teams. We’re not there yet — we need competition and player development to reach that stage,” Smith said.
On expansion plans, Smith clarified that SA20 is not looking to add more teams at the moment. “One thing we’ve got right is competitive balance among our six teams. If we add another side, we’d need another 20–25 quality local players — and that depth isn’t quite there yet,” he said.
South Africa batter David Miller, who captains Paarl Royals, added that playing in SA20 holds special meaning. “For me, being South African and playing SA20 at home is the best thing ever. Nothing beats playing in front of family, friends, and local fans,” he said.
Smith also confirmed that stadiums across South Africa are undergoing major upgrades in preparation for the 2027 ODI World Cup, with improvements in lights, pitches, and infrastructure. “You’ll see new lights across venues this season. Post Season Five is when we’ll look to expand,” Smith concluded.
