Will the T20 Global League work?

HAVING watched the broadcast of Cricket South Africa’s launch of its new T20 Global League live on Facebook – a game-changer in itself – it is clear South African cricket fans are set to be hit with something they have yet to experience before in the coming summer.

The closest to it was, of course, when the Indian Premier League was hastily relocated to South Africa in 2009 to a clash with elections in the Asian country. And what an event that was.

It was cricket on steroids. South Africans were not just engrossed by the star players out on the field, but also by the A-list Bollywood celebrities who were showcased on the big screens every time they stood up in the presidential suites.

I specifically remember an aunt of mine, who had never been interested in cricket in all her life – and that’s quite an achievement if you knew my cricket-crazy family – calling me up to ask if I had any tickets to share to attend the Newlands matches – purely because Shah Rukh Khan “was going to be under the same sky as her for the night”.

That’s the X-factor “King Khan” possesses, and I’m sure it’s going to be no different when he pulls up in his orange Lamborghini – or whatever luxury vehicle he will by whizzing around in at the time – for the opening game at Newlands.

In fact, I actually think it will possibly be even crazier than it was in 2009, for unlike the IPL, where local fans had no real associations with the teams, Shah Rukh is now a “Kaapie” after the superstar was unveiled as the owner of the Cape Town franchise on Monday.

Equally, the spin-offs for local domestic players and associations are massive.

Domestic cricketers have for far too long not swum in the same pool as their rugby counterparts, and lately some of their Premier Soccer League counterparts have also been financially more content.

Even the advent of franchise cricket in South Africa – where there are only approximately 100 players fully contracted, besides the Proteas – has not drastically benefited the domestic cricketers’ financial situation.

However, if CSA are serious about getting bums on seats, which I believe will ultimately define the success of this event, then the spectator’s overall experience has to be improved on immeasurably.

The fact that CSA, along with the local municipalities, have opted to invest R350 million in stadium refurbishment and upgrades over the next three years is the first step in the right direction.

Having also spent some time with CSA’s media guru Altaaf Kazi at South Africa’s inaugural pink-ball day-night Test in Adelaide last year, where the off-field activities rivalled anything the Durban July or The Met can put on as a spectacle, I have no doubt plentiful notes were scribbled on what “a day out at the cricket” actually means.

Local stadium vendors have long cried out for a more enticing domestic product to lure people through the turnstiles. Now is the time for them to up their game too.

My only hope is that CSA have followed the correct corporate governance protocols with regard to their own internal structures, for the last thing the T20 Global League needs is another drawn-out saga like the one that ultimately led to the sacking of previous chief executive Gerald Majola after he was found guilty of irregular bonus payments related to the hosting of that very same IPL in 2009.

These are indeed exciting times in South African cricket.

Let’s just make sure the juice is worth the squeeze!