Photo Credit: SA20 League
Playoff structure, revised mid-week timings amongst new features in bumper 34-match schedule released.
Betway SA20 is back and ready for another summer of world-class cricket and entertainment in an anticipated Season 2. South Africa’s best talent, along with the world’s top cricketers, will once again be on show in 34 matches across six venues around the country starting on Wednesday, 10 January, culminating with the Final on Saturday, 10 February.
Each team will host a home match in the opening week, bringing to life the fierce contests and city-based rivalries amongst the six Indian Premier League (IPL)-owned teams.
Defending champions, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, will open the season when they host Joburg Super Kings (JSK) at St George’s Park on 10 January for the first match of the action-packed competition.
Following the season opener in Gqeberha, Durban’s Super Giants (DSG) host MI Cape Town in a coastal derby at Kingsmead on Thursday, 11 January before Paarl Royals and last season’s runners-up Pretoria Capitals, face off at Boland Park on Friday, 12 January.
The Wanderers will kick off a bumper opening weekend when JSK and MI Cape Town go head-to-head at the Bullring on Saturday, 13 January at 13h30 before the Sunrisers tackle DSG at St George’s Park at 17h30.
The fast-paced action then moves to the nation’s capital where the Pretoria Capitals welcome the Paarl Royals to Centurion for a new 15h30 Sunday start.
MI Cape Town will host their first home match at Newlands on Tuesday, 16 January against Champions, the Sunrisers.
The League announced a new playoff structure for Season 2; with a Qualifier 1, Eliminator and a Qualifier 2 setting up the road to the Final. The top two teams will play each other in Qualifier 1, followed by the Eliminator between the third and fourth-placed teams. The loser of Qualifier 1 and the winner of the Eliminator will battle it out in Qualifier 2, for a chance to book their place in the Final, against the winner of Qualifier 1.
All mid-week matches will now start at 17h30, giving fans an opportunity for a post-work and post school feast of cricket during the week.
The fixtures were unveiled in Johannesburg and attended by Betway SA20 League Commissioner, Graeme Smith, players from the franchise teams, key stakeholders, and the media, as the excitement builds towards 10 January.
“With the Season 2 auction around the corner, the momentum is building and we are thrilled to announce these fixtures,” League Commissioner, Graeme Smith said. “We have a jam-packed opening week of matches which will captivate fans around the country. We have been intentional in giving families, friends and our new fans an opportunity to watch as many matches as possible, with mid-week fixtures starting from 17h30 and weekends providing prime summer evening viewing. It was fantastic to see all the fan support in year 1. Fans can mark their calendars and expect to see more of what they experienced last summer -the same vibe, entertainment, and world class international and local talent in Season 2.”
All matches will once again be broadcast live to seven different territories through SuperSport in Sub-Saharan Africa, Viacom 18 in India, Sky Sports in the UK, Fox Sports in Australasia, Etisalat in the UAE, and to the rest of the world via ICC TV.
Fans can also follow the action on all Betway SA20 social media channels, with live updates and unparalleled coverage of all 34 matches.
In South Africa, the SA20 Season 1 was the most watched sport event on average on SuperSport Premium during the period, with a cumulative viewership of 8.96m.
India, which is a key strategic market given the six IPL-linked local franchises, reported 5 billion viewing time minutes, 131 million people reached and 104 million digital video views.
All six franchises have named their preliminary squads, and will finalise their 19-player roster at the auction on 27 September.
Name of Author: SA20 League
SA20, officially known as the Betway SA20 for sponsorship reasons, is a Twenty20 franchise cricket tournament in South Africa organized by Cricket South Africa (CSA). First held in the 2023 season, the league features six city-based teams. Sunrisers Eastern Cape won the first two editions of the tournament.
