‘We’d love to have more Indian players’ - Graeme Smith on SA20’s future

SA20 commissioner Graeme Smith has expressed his desire to see more Indian players participate in the South African T20 league, adding that it remains an ongoing conversation with the BCCI. So far, former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik is the only Indian cricketer to feature in the SA20, having represented the Paarl Royals last season.

Under the BCCI’s current policy, no player who is active in Indian cricket, whether at the international level, in domestic competitions, or in the IPL, is permitted to take part in overseas T20 leagues. This restriction meant that Karthik could join the SA20 only after formally retiring from all Indian cricket. The league itself has a notable Indian connection, with all six franchises owned by IPL team owners.

"Firstly, we would love to have more Indian players [in SA20]. I think whenever India plays in South Africa, you can see the love for the Indian team. The talent is incredible. I think we will continue to work with the BCCI on these things. And I think if that ever changes with the six IPL franchises, I think we're perfectly suited to be able to attract Indian players,” said Smith as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

“Those types of contracts with Dinesh signing with Paarl Royals are always a direct deal between the franchise [and the player]. And I think, obviously, with retired players and more retired players coming, it's a balance between attracting that retired Indian player but still keeping your league competitive. And our franchises really want to win, as you've experienced in IPL and in SA20. So they're always looking for the best players who can perform consistently,” he added.

The fourth season of the SA20 is set to run for a month, from December 26, 2025 to January 25, 2026, across six cities. Although South Africa traditionally hosts a Boxing Day Test starting on December 26, this year the date will instead mark the opening of their premier T20 league.

Last season, South Africa hosted Pakistan during the Boxing Day period, producing a thrilling Test where the home side clinched victory by two wickets to secure their spot in the World Test Championship final. In 2023, India played the Boxing Day Test in Centurion, a match South Africa dominated and won by an innings and 32 runs.

Since the turn of the century, South Africa have regularly staged a Boxing Day Test at home, with exceptions only in 2022, 2012, 2008, 2005 and 2001. However, this season’s schedule is different. South Africa will be touring India for an all-format series beginning with two Tests on November 14. The tour concludes with the final T20I on December 19, leaving just a one-week window before the SA20 gets underway.

As Smith noted, there was no Boxing Day Test scheduled in the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) for this season, allowing Cricket South Africa to commit fully to launching the SA20 on December 26.

"Yeah, it's actually always been the case, though, in this cycle, that Cricket South Africa never had international cricket in this window. The South African team is here [in India] until 20 December. And then SA20 is now taking place there. And then there's the T20 World Cup here in India in February. So it was a very small window. And I don't think South African cricket ever had a tour lined up, never mind being WTC champions. I think this goes back years in terms of the FTP cycle,” said Smith.

Such is the congestion in the global cricket calendar that just two days after the SA20 concludes in Cape Town, South Africa will turn their attention to international commitments. They are set to host West Indies for a T20I series beginning on January 27 in Paarl. Shortly thereafter, the focus will shift to the T20 World Cup, scheduled to begin on February 7 in India.

Smith also praised South Africa’s recent achievements on the international stage, particularly in ICC tournaments. Earlier this year, the men’s team secured their maiden World Test Championship title with a memorable victory at Lord’s. The women’s team, meanwhile, reached their first-ever ODI World Cup final earlier this month, finishing as runners-up to India. Their consistency in global tournaments has been evident in recent years as well, having played the finals of the women’s T20 World Cups in both 2023 and 2024.

"In terms of women's cricket, we've spent a lot of time and effort investing in grassroots with Under-19 camps and schools programmes. I think Cricket South Africa is working on a domestic programme now. I think the challenge that South African cricket has is that our national women's team is very good, but the tier below needs to be developed. So we'll look at it probably from next season, obviously with women's IPL and national team schedules getting busier and busier. We'll probably look to start exhibition matches like IPL did,” said Smith.

CSA could also take inspiration from the BCCI, which began its journey toward a full-fledged women’s league by introducing the Women’s T20 Challenge in 2019, a three-team tournament seen as a precursor to a women’s IPL. The event was staged again in 2020 and 2022. These steps ultimately paved the way for the launch of the five-team Women’s Premier League (WPL) in 2023, marking a significant milestone for women’s cricket in India.