T20 Global League marks the beginning of a new, sensational tournament

The shortest format of cricket has gained astounding momentum and taken the entire cricketing world by storm, ever since it came into being. With the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Big Bash League (BBL) in India and Australia respectively, having established themselves as resounding successes, it is now time for South Africa to join the bandwagon. The T20 Global League will mark Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) venture into the world of T20 tournaments and it’s all set to kick off on November 3.

The T20 GL will be a 44-day long gala which will feature star players from South Africa as well as from other nations, including the likes of Chris Gayle and Lasith Malinga. The tournament is also being viewed as a brilliant platform for Protean youngsters to rub shoulders with the best in the world. The finals of the league will be held on December 16, at the Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg.

A new addition to the world of T20 extravaganzas

The teams spent more than R 93 million at the players draft last Sunday. Most teams seem to have achieved their desired player balance, with each franchise spending R 11.7 million approximately. The eight participating franchises will sport a squad strength of 18 players, consisting of five international players at maximum.

Further, it’ll be compulsory for the starting XI to have at least one domestic newbie and a maximum of four internationals. 57 matches are supposed to be held in total in five provinces, with each franchise playing a home and an away game against every franchise; much like the IPL system.

Here’s the detailed list of the 8 participating teams:

Name: Benoni Zalmi

Owner: Javed Afridi

Protea marquee player: Quinton de Kock

International marquee player: Jason Roy (England)

Coach: Graeme Smith

Home ground: Willowmoore Park, Benoni

Name: Bloem City Blazers

Owner: Sushil Kumar

Protea marquee player: David Miller

International marquee player: Kieron Pollard (West Indies)

Coach: Phil Simmons (West Indies)

Home ground: Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein

Name: Cape Town Knight Riders

Owner: Shah Rukh Khan

Protea marquee player: JP Duminy

International marquee player: Chris Gayle (West Indies)

Coach: Jacques Kallis

Home ground: Newlands, Cape Town

Name: Durban Qalandars

Owner: Fawad Rana

Protea marquee player: Hashim Amla

International marquee player: Eoin Morgan (England)

Coach: Paddy Upton

Home ground: Kingsmead, Durban

Name: Jo’burg Giants

Owner: GMR Group

Protea marquee player: Kagiso Rabada

International marquee player: Brendon McCullum (New Zealand)

Coach: Sridharan Sriram (India)

Home ground: The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Name: Nelson Mandela Bay Stars

Owner: Ajay Sethi

Protea marquee player: Imran Tahir

International marquee player: Kevin Pietersen (England)

Coach: Mark Boucher

Home ground: St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth

Name: Pretoria Mavericks

Owner: Consortium

Protea marquee player: AB de Villiers

International marquee player: Dwayne Bravo (West Indies)

Coach: Russell Domingo

Home ground: SuperSport Park, Centurion

Name: Stellenbosch Monarchs

Owner: TBC

Protea marquee player: Faf du Plessis

International marquee player: Lasith Malinga ­(Sri Lanka)

Coach: Stephen Fleming (New Zealand)

Home ground: Boland Park, Paarl