The rivalry between two main franchise cricket leagues, South Africa’s SA20 and the UAE’s ILT20, has escalated right into a confrontation.
The SA20, which kicked off its third version on January 9 and is ready to conclude on February 8, overlaps with the ILT20, operating from January 11 to February 9, 2025. This scheduling conflict has drawn sharp feedback from Graeme Smith, the previous South African cricket captain and present commissioner of SA20. In response, a former Indian cricketer fired again with pointed criticism.
SA20 vs ILT20: Conflict between two franchise cricket
Talking in regards to the ILT20, Smith emphasised the distinct id of SA20 and criticized the UAE-based league, he emphasised that SA20 distinguishes itself from ILT20 by being a South African league primarily centered on growing and benefiting South African gamers.
“We see ourselves as very totally different to the ILT20. We’re a South African league, with a majority of South African gamers, and our final aim is to profit South African gamers,” Smith stated within the captains’ day press convention in Cape City .
Graeme Smith’s harsh remarks on ILT20
Smith expressed that SA20 has been positioned in distinction to ILT20, making it laborious for him to not criticize the league. He believes that relying closely on worldwide gamers with out investing in native cricket is dangerous to the sport and presents a problem for international cricket’s future.
“We’ve been constructed up towards ILT20, so it’s very tough for me to not come throughout like I’m bad-mouthing them, however I do really feel like a league like that isn’t good for the sport; that there’s that many worldwide gamers required to construct a crew; there’s no funding again into native cricket. That may be a problem for the world sport and one thing that must be managed going ahead,” he added.
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Indian legend responds with a pointy retort
In a fiery response, the previous Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag took a dig at Smith, saying that advised that Smith’s feedback had been pushed by jealousy, because the ILT20 attracts quite a few worldwide stars, in contrast to SA20. He additionally identified that the ILT20 advantages from having a mixture of established gamers and native UAE expertise, who acquire useful expertise by enjoying alongside legends.
“I sense jealousy there as a result of we’ve got a plethora of worldwide stars coming in, whereas their league is starved of such worldwide gamers. I can perceive his ache, however that is even higher for the ILT20. You get to see established gamers right here together with some native UAE expertise who’re rubbing shoulders with legends and skilled execs,” Sehwag stated on the YouTube channel Snitch.