The void that has long existed in South African cricket was filled by SA20: Aakash Chopra

Presenting “#AakashVANI,” the daily sports program on JioCinema, Aakash Chopra outlined the reasons behind the success of the SA20 in its inaugural season in 2023 and what fans can anticipate from Season 2. The SA20 starts on Wednesday. Take a peek:

What constitutes a prosperous league?

From the very first season, SA20 seemed to have the proper formula. You may thank the people of South Africa and Graeme Smith for that. For their importance in elevating the league, the board is also deserving of recognition. It was essential to establish a connection with fans throughout the first season. Every game played in the inaugural season had crowded stadiums, as can be seen. Indeed, at the end, enthusiasts showed up even at neutral locations. SA20 filled the void that had long existed in South African cricket.

Aakash Chopra concurs with AB de Villers that the SA20 will quickly overtake the IPL as the second-biggest league.

The board’s decision to give this league priority is another item SA20 did well with. Some have bemoaned the fact that South Africa lost an ODI series and that they are not fielding their strongest lineup during a Test series. However, the board understood that if they couldn’t offer anything compelling, they wouldn’t be able to keep the players around for very long. Another notable aspect of the SA20 is the exposure it has given to local artists and the kind of performances they have produced.

Regarding anticipated developments for the second SA20 edition

The Indian link will be evident once more. The owners of the IPL franchises are the owners of the teams. There is unmistakable correlation and overlap. The league’s other noteworthy aspect is that, the previous season, its success was largely attributed to the play of its homegrown players, like Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen, and Kagiso Rabada.

I believe that this time, left-arm spinners will be quite important. Each squad possesses a left-arm spinner. As it happens, Keshav Maharaj is the captain of his team, the Durban Super Giants. Another talented left-armer is Paarl Royal’s Bjorn Fortuin. Pace bowlers and left-arm spinners both fare well on certain types of wickets found in South Africa.