CSA announces the replacement for T20 Global League

The postponement of the Global League T20 came as a disappointment to players and fans alike. Reportedly, the touted GLT20 is all set to be replaced by South Africa‘s domestic franchise T20 tournament in the ongoing cricketing season. The move comes after concerns regarding the legitimacy of the organisational processes of the GLT20 surfaced and an investigation was launched to look into the matter.

The domestic tournament will feature six teams with each team playing against the other on home turfs as well as in away conditions. This T20 tournament has been pushed up the calendar by 4 months to fill the void left by the Global League T20. It will take place between November 10 and December 16 instead of the initial timeline of March 14 to April 15.

Postponing GLT20 has caused upheaval amongst domestic players

According to ESPNcricinfo, an insider has indicated towards dissatisfaction amongst domestic players and said, “The players are still very angry and disappointed that the T20 Global League is not going ahead and it is going to take time to restore their confidence.” Reportedly, Cricket South Africa (CSA) have held meetings with the South African Cricketers’ Associations (SACA) regarding the swift compensation of the League payouts. Tony Irish, the SACA chief executive, said after “several hours of negotiation, the ball is in now in CSA’s court.”

However, the domestic T20 tournament can be expected to be a star-studded affair with almost all major South African players being available for participation. While Dale Steyn, Chris Morris, Morne Morkel, Duanne Olivier and Wayne Parnell are likely to make their way to the cricketing field at this tournament after having recovered from injuries, Vernon Philander and Lungi Ngidi will take part in the T20 tournament, too. Although participation of foreign players in the matches is highly unlikely, Proteas captain, Faf du Plessis is expected to play in the tournament, after having had to sit out of of the T20I series against Bangladesh this week with a lower-back strain.