‘It is going to improve the young guys coming through’ - Jacques Kallis highlights significance of SA20

The first edition of Cricket South Africa's SA20 is scheduled to commence on January 10, 2023. A total of six teams will participate in the top-tier league - MI Cape Town, Durban Super Giants, Johannesburg Super Kings, Paarl Royals, Pretoria Capitals, and Sunrisers Eastern Cape.

Former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis has opined that the league will help the youngsters participating in it to improve. Furthermore, he added that the league will help provide depth to the national squad ahead of future global ICC events.

"I think South African cricket has been crying out for this for a long time. I think we've seen the wonderful job it's (franchise league cricket) done around the world in terms of how the local competition has improved cricket. I have no doubt it's going to be the same here and everyone is looking forward to it. The standard will be very high," Kallis said.

"Having international players and coaches is also certainly going to provide a good product. It is going to improve the young guys coming through. With everything being televised, it's a great opportunity for the guys to put their name out there, whether it be for international cricket or other leagues around the world. What better stage for these young guys to put their hand up in this competition?” added Kallis.

Kallis will bring his experience in his new role as assistant coach to Graham Ford at the Pretoria Capitals in the inaugural SA20 season.

A total of 33 matches will be played in the competition with the first match to be played on January 10, 2023. All teams will play each other twice in a round-robin format in the league stage, followed by two semi-finals and the mega-final. The six sides are owned by the same groups that own certain franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL). SuperSport and Viacom18 Sports will broadcast all 33 matches in Sub Saharan Africa and other parts of the world.