Cricket South Africa have confirmed the franchise owners for the country’s new T20 league.The league will launch across six cities early next year. All six franchises have been bought by entities who also own Indian Premier League teams.The open bid process, managed by Deloitte Corporate Finance, attracted over 29 entities who expressed interest in owning a franchise worldwide,” read a statement from Cricket South Africa.“Over 10 venues were made available for interested bidders to own a franchise and all 10 of them received expressions of interest.”
Greame Smith, who was recently appointed the head of the league, expressed his delight at the turn of events. "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."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 added. Reliance Industries Limited (Mumbai Indians owner), Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited (Chennai Super Kings owner), Royals Sports Group (Rajasthan Royals owner), JSW Sports (Delhi Capitals co-owner), RPSG Sports Private Limited (Lucknow Super Giants owner) and Sun TV Network Limited (Sunrisers Hyderabad owner) won the bids for the six franchises.Reliance's new team will be based out of Newlands, Cape Town, while Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited will have its team in Wanderers, Johannesburg. RPSG Sports will have their team in Kingsmead, Durban, Sun TV Network's team will be in St George’s Park, Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), and Royals Sports Group's team will be based out of Boland Park, Paarl. JSW Sports's team will be in SuperSport Park, Pretoria.
