After weeks of uncertainty, the Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Tuesday decided to postpone the inaugural edition of the much talked about T20 Global League.
Top officials at Cricket South Africa (CSA) confirmed to Sportstar that the T20 league has been pushed back to November next year. "A board meeting has decided that the league needs some more time," a top official said.
READ: T20 Global League launched
"We have not come to this decision lightly," CSA acting CEO, Thabang Moroe was quoted in a release issued by the South African Board. “Having discussed it with all our stakeholders including the franchise owners, we believe that the interest of the league should be our first priority. We have re-assessed our strategy and believe that postponing the first edition of the T20 Global League to next year will serve us well,” he said.
“We will regroup and come back stronger and better. At this time, we also wish to thank all the players, sponsors, broadcast partners, SACA (South African Cricketers Association) and FICA (Federation of International Cricketers) who have committed to the project. We appreciate the continued support of the individuals and organizations who have believed in this tournament,” added Moroe.
Teething issues related to broadcast rights and the resignation of CSA CEO Haroon Lorgat last week are believed to be the reasons for the postponement.
ALSO READ: Smith, Kallis, Boucher to take up coaching roles
The owners of Indian Premier League franchises like Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils had brought franchises in the T20 Global League , hoping to expand business. The franchises are now waiting for the official word to plan the next course of action.
Delhi Daredevils CEO, Hemant Dua, who is also the chief executive officer of the Johannesburg franchise, agreed that the postponement of the League is disheartening, but then, he was okay with the decision 'under present circumstances'. "They communicated to us a few days back, and all this while, they were deliberating internally. It is definitely disheartening that the League has postponed," Dua told Sportstar .
"They had some internal issues at the CSA. They tried sorting that out because of which the league is getting postponed. We understand this. The idea is to do a proper league, rather than doing a half-hearted league. We will support them," Dua said, making it clear that it would have been ideal to go ahead with the league since 'everything was ready'.
Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen, who was picked by the Port Elizabeth franchise, also expressed his disappointment. "I feel so sorry for all the youngsters who were going to learn and earn out of this competition. Disaster for South African sport," Pietersen stated.
Comments
SHARE