With all six franchises owned by Indian Premier League (IPL) team owners, South Africa’s premier domestic T20 competition, SA20, finds itself closely tied to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). That comes with restrictions—foremost being the absence of Indian players in the league.
League commissioner Graeme Smith admits it’s a catch-22. Indian players would boost commercial appeal and fan interest, but the BCCI’s stance is clear: no active Indian cricketer can feature in foreign franchise leagues.
No Indians in the Auction
For the upcoming Season 4 auction (9 September, Johannesburg), over 800 players registered, including 14 from India such as Piyush Chawla, Siddarth Kaul and Ankit Rajpoot. But when the shortlist of 549 was released, there wasn’t a single Indian name.
The exception remains those who have retired from Indian domestic cricket. Dinesh Karthik turned out for Paarl Royals last season as a player-mentor, while Robin Uthappa too featured in foreign franchise cricket after stepping away from Indian representation.
Reports suggested even Ravichandran Ashwin considered registering, but franchises steered clear to avoid upsetting the BCCI. Instead, Ashwin may be seen in other leagues such as the ILT20 (UAE), Big Bash League (Australia) or Major League Cricket (USA).
Indian fans are some of the most passionate in the world, and we would love to build our audience with them. If the BCCI changes their mind, our six franchises are perfectly ready to attract Indian talent. For now, we respect the BCCI’s decisions.
Homegrown Talent Rising
Unable to lean on Indian megastars, the SA20 has shifted its focus to developing domestic talent—and Smith believes the results are showing. South Africa recently registered a five-run ODI series-clinching win over England, with young names like Matthew Breetzke leading the charge. Breetzke became the first South African to score 50+ runs in each of his first five ODI appearances.
If we go back three years, the idea was to expose young talent to high-intensity cricket alongside global stars. Now we see players like Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis and Breetzke translating their SA20 experiences into international performances.
Auction and Season Ahead
More than 500 players will go under the hammer on 9 September as franchises shape their 19-player squads for Season 4, which begins on 26 December 2025. With the IPL link, the BCCI barrier, and a generation of South African youngsters stepping up, Smith insists SA20 is carving out its own identity: a launchpad for the next wave of Proteas stars.
