Johannesburg, Feb 3 (IANS) The SA20 and Cricket South Africa have firmed up their plans for upcoming editions, taking a significant step into the future by formalising competition windows for South Africa’s premier T20 competition for the next three years. The change in schedule for Season 4 has been necessitated because of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup next year in India and Sri Lanka.
Season 4 of SA20 will get underway during South Africa’s peak festive season from December 26, 2025, and run through to January 26, 2026. It will lead up to the ICC T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February next year.
Season 5 will return to its regular January slot running from 9 January until 14 February 2027. This will allow for a bigger rest period between matches and less weekday matches.
The year 2027 promises to be a bumper one for local cricket fans, with the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup set to be staged in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in October and November. Thus, Season 6 of SA20 will run from January 9 until February 13, 2028.
“Confirming the SA20 window for a three-year period allows the League to bring certainty to all stakeholders and assists in securing our place when planning the global calendar,’’ said the League Commissioner Graeme Smith.
“We know fans respond particularly well to weekend and holiday fixtures and with the ICC T20 World Cup in early February next year, our Season 4 dates provide the unique opportunity to capitalise on South Africa’s peak cricket season and key public holidays. Early planning has also meant that we are able to look at an extended window from 2026/27 and this will optimise scheduling, logistics, and the fan experience,’’ Smith was quoted as saying in a release on Monday.
The ICC event schedule which was confirmed until 2031 and the current Future Tours Programme (FTP) until 2027 was taken into consideration while taking these decisions.
A working group made up of representatives from both the League and Cricket South Africa determined the competition window for Seasons 4 through 6 of the SA20.
The third season of the competition heads into the crucial Playoffs which get underway in Gqeberha on Tuesday. MI Cape Town and Paarl Royals battle it out in a top-of-the-table Western Cape derby at St George’s Park, with a winner takes-all-clash at Centurion on Wednesday in the Eliminator between Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Joburg Super Kings.
–IANS
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