The Indian Premier League (IPL) outfits have expanded their portfolios in the T20 leagues of other countries, with six of the teams acquiring all six franchises that were a part of the bidding process for the brand-new CSA T20 League, based in South Africa. The open bid process, managed by Deloitte Corporate Finance, attracted over 29 entities, with 10 venues made available for interested bidders to own a franchise.
The final owners were:
Newlands, Cape Town – Reliance Industries Limited, owners of Mumbai Indians
Kingsmead, Durban – RPSG Sports Private Limited, owners of Lucknow Super Giants
St George’s Park, Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) -- Sun TV Network Limited, owners of Sunrisers Hyderabad
Wanderers, Johannesburg – Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited, owners of Chennai Super Kings
Boland Park, Paarl – Royals Sports Group, owners of Rajasthan Royals
SuperSport Park, Pretoria – JSW Sports, co-owners of Delhi Capitals
The six successful bidders have been running sporting teams for a very long time. While MI, CSK and RR have been a part of the IPL for 15 seasons now, while the rest - DC, LSG and SRH, have had various levels of success in the world’s leading T20 tournament, the IPL.
Speaking about this new selection process, the Commissioner for the league, Graeme Smith said, “We are thrilled to welcome our new franchise owners to the South African League taking place in January and February 2023. This is truly an exciting time for South African cricket; the overwhelming interest shows that the country remains valued in the global cricketing eco-system.
“A robust bidding process was followed to select the final six owners, the decision was informed by a scorecard based on various criteria to ensure the utmost professionalism, independence, and objectivity to the process. I would like to thank Deloitte as our advisors for doing a thoroughly professional job in helping South African cricket find partners who add substantial value to our game.
The strong sports background of the respective owners and the global brands they manage ensures that South African cricket and the broader industry will benefit from their expertise and resources, as they bring stability and experience to the League,” Smith was quoted as saying in a CSA statement.
Fans will now get a chance to see their favourite players in the newly formed league that will kick off next year. It is believed that CSK, through parent company Chennai Super Kings Sports Limited, made the highest bid at an informal auction to buy the Johannesburg franchise. Mumbai Indians, owned by Reliance Industries, bought the Cape Town franchise, while the Sun TV Group, which owns Sunrisers, bought the Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) franchise.
This new tournament is CSA's third attempt to start a sustainable franchise-based T20 league after the Global League T20 failed to take off in 2017 and the Mzansi Super League was scrapped because its broadcast rights could not be sold for three years.
