It’s that time of the year, no not the Christmas-New Year shenanigans, but the start-of-the-year-overload of T20 leagues. The Big Bash League was into its final couple of weeks that the Bangladesh Premier League kicked off and has had a week of its existence in the new season. Now, the third season of the SA20 and the ILT20 beckon. Like the league commissioner Graeme Smith admitted, SA20 has really been able to capture the imagination of not just the viewers but the overseas players as well.
Yes, the ownership of all six franchises by IPL teams has helped in a building fanbases and loyalties but the talent in South Africa, the fan engagement activities and the record number of crowds have helped the SA20 create its own identity and find its space in the diminishing windows. With some of the biggest names in world cricket, Kane Williamson, Devon Conway, Trent Boult, Dinesh Karthik, Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes among others joining the fold, the third season has reached even wider this time around.
The season kicks off with the two-time defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape taking on MI Cape Town in Gqeberha on Thursday, January 9. Rashid Khan will return for the MICT after missing the last season while the Sunrisers have made some additions in form of Zak Crawley and David Bedingham in the middle order as they aim for the three-peat.
The SA20 matches have three different timings to aid the visiting audiences and the viewers, especially in India. The evening matches kick off at 9 PM IST except Sundays. The matches on Sunday begin at 7 PM IST (3:30 PM local) while the day matches on doubel-header days will have a 4:30 PM start with the evening games to follow at 9 PM IST. Double-headers are only scheduled for Saturdays.
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All 34 matches of the 2025 edition of the SA20 will be live on Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD and Sports18 2 channels in India. The live streaming of the tournament will be available on Disney+ Hotstar app and website.
