Johannesburg - Former Proteas men's captain Graeme Smith will head up South Africa's new T20 League.
Smith, who resigned as Cricket South Africa's Director of Cricket in March, will oversee all aspects - both cricketing and non-cricketing.
The League has incorporated satellite broadcaster, SuperSport, one of its major shareholders.
Among Smith's first orders of business will be to develop the brand and confirm the participating franchises for the annual tournament, with the inaugural event scheduled to take place in January and February 2023.
Reports from India, though, have indicated all six franchises that went under the hammer have been acquired by Indian Premier League owners. England's South African-born batter Kevin Pietersen was also in contention to acquire a new franchise, but could not match the bidding price of the IPL owners.
The Mumbai Indians have reportedly purchased the Cape Town franchise, Chennai Super Kings (Johannesburg), Delhi Capitals (Pretoria), Lucknow Super Giants (Durban), Sunrisers Hyderabad (Port Elizabeth) and Rajasthan Royals (Paarl).
“I’m extremely honoured to be entrusted with leading this exciting new venture. I’m deeply committed to South African cricket and happy to serve the game as best I can," Smith said in a statement.
"I’m excited by the opportunity to deliver the new league which I believe will be an extremely competitive product, one that can bring the much-needed investment into the game and provide new opportunities for players around the world and more importantly to our SA home grown talent.
“The response from stakeholders has been very positive thus far and we’ve made great progress in the initial stages. We’re determined to deliver a valuable, sustainable and appealing tournament for South African cricket," he added.
Pholetsi Moseki, the chief executive of Cricket South Africa, welcomed Smith’s new role.
“I worked closely with Graeme during his role as DoC and believe he is the perfect candidate to lead this new chapter of South African cricket,” Moseki said. “His expert understanding of the local and international cricketing environment will ensure the League delivers a thrilling product that will change the face of South African cricket for the better.
“This new league promises to make a significant investment into both professional cricket and development in South Africa, along with a positive socio-economic and tourism injection into the country.
“We are excited by the positive strides we have made so far and remain on track to deliver a league to inspire and entertain cricket fans around SA and the world,” he concluded.
IOL Sport