{"id":211192,"date":"2025-01-09T04:24:06","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T04:24:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/09\/sa20-season-3-t20-league-central-to-south-african-crickets-golden-era-times-of-india\/"},"modified":"2025-01-09T04:24:06","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T04:24:06","slug":"sa20-season-3-t20-league-central-to-south-african-crickets-golden-era-times-of-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/09\/sa20-season-3-t20-league-central-to-south-african-crickets-golden-era-times-of-india\/","title":{"rendered":"SA20 Season 3: T20 league central to South African cricket\u2019s Golden Era – Times of India"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SA20 captains on the eve of the third season. The tournament begins on 9 January. (Image: Sportzpics)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

South African cricket is currently in a state where it\u2019s pinch me, wake up, everybody\u2019s dreaming territory.
After an administrative malaise which inadvertently led to the South African men’s team, in particular, stumbling for a few years, the Rainbow Nation is now up and running again.
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The women\u2019s team kickstarted the revolution by shattering the glass ceiling of reaching a first-ever ICC T20 Women\u2019s World Cup final. They repeated the act the very next year in the UAE.<\/p>\n

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SA20: Faf du Plessis on Joburg Super Kings squad, the Wanderers, and longevity<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Not to be outdone, the men\u2019s team followed suit by progressing to their maiden ICC T20 World Cup final in Barbados last year and now, the Test side have topped the World Test Championship table to earn a spot at the main dining table at Lord\u2019s in June.
All of these achievements over the past two years coincided with the launch of the SA20 \u2013 the domestic T20 competition that has been an astounding success on the field whilst providing a much-needed financial boost to Cricket South Africa\u2019s balance sheet.
The third instalment is set to get underway in Gqeberha on Thursday when back-to-back champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape host MI Cape Town at St George\u2019s Park with the excitement reaching an all-time in South Africa.<\/p>\n

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AB de Villiers on SA20, Indian players in T20 leagues, learnings from IPL<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI think from the beginning we were open and honest about bridging the gap between domestic cricket and international standards. To have six franchises that are competitive and bring out top support teams and then the players are also playing with and against the best players in the world,\u201d SA20 Commissioner Graeme Smith<\/a> said.
\u201cThen you add crowds and production\u2026 I remember season 1 where so many young players hadn’t experienced such television productions before. Hopefully that will start developing more players pushing for places within the Proteas.\u201d
Smith feels that SA20 is ready to take the game in South Africa to even greater heights in Season 3.
\u201cTwo seasons in I feel we are now an established product. We\u2019re probably the biggest league outside of the IPL. Being able to attract the six franchises that we have, they very professional, very competitive,\u201d the former Proteas captain said.
\u201cWe\u2019ve had quality local and international players. The squads look even stronger in Season 3. You look across the squads and you can so see many matchups.<\/p>\n

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Jacques Kallis answers what makes SA20 special<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cEvery year the cricket is getting better and seeing the progression of players is key to me. From a fan perspective, we are investing heavily again. There is something for everyone from the kids to adults who want to enjoy a really good experience inside the stadium,\u201d he added.
The season opener will feature a blockbuster face-off between the Sunrisers Eastern Cape and MI Cape Town.
It is, of course, a rematch for two skippers Aiden Markram (Sunrisers) and Rashid Khan (MI Cape Town) after they last went head-to-head in the ICC T20 World Cup semi-final in Tarouba, Trinidad.
This is but one of the subplots to look forward to over the month-long competition that will no doubt captivate audiences both in South African and abroad.<\/div>\n