South Africa's new T20 league kicks off on Tuesday, January 10, and before the inaugural edition of the tournament, the SAT20 have announced changes to their playing conditions, including one that allows captains to select their playing XIs after the toss of the match.
This new rule will allow the skippers to choose an initial bunch of 13 players ahead of the toss and after the coin in flipped, they can choose their playing XIs based on the result of the toss, the condition of the pitch, etc. The two players who are omitted will then be a part of the side as substitute fielders.
Among the other changes that were introduced, runs taken after a direct hit deflects off the stumps will not be counted, and an amendment to the free-hit rule will now be applicable as well. In this rule, a bowled dismissal cannot lead to byes if the ball ricochets off the stumps, stated the SA20 release.
“The winning team awarded four points and a bonus-point win generating five points. The bonus point will be awarded to a team who achieves a run rate of 1.25 times that of the opposition. In case of a no result, both teams will be awarded two points, while the losing team will not receive any points,” the release added.
The newly-introduced league will have 33 matches played over a period of three to four weeks. Like the Indian Premier League (IPL), the tournament will allow up to four international players to feature in the playing XIs of each team.
The league will start on January 10, with the first match being MI Cape Town vs Paarl Royals. The first semi-final will include the team finishing top of the group stages against the team finishing fourth. The second semi-final will be between the teams finishing second and third respectively. The winners of the two semi-finals will contest the final.
