Last Updated:
Robin Uthappa believes IPL and SA20 players should play in both leagues as it can boost cricket’s quality.
MI Cape Town captain Rashid Khan (R) and Sunrisers Eastern Cape skipper Aiden Markram. (Picture Credit: X/@MICapeTown)
Former international wicketkeeper-batter Robin Uthappa believes the time is right for IPL players to play in the SA20 and vice-versa because it can do cricket ‘a world of good’. He feels the SA20’s success has shown there’s ‘enough and more talent’ available in South Africa to facilitate such an arrangement.
The SA20 is in its third season after the first two editions, in 2023 and 2024, managed to gather huge crowds and maintain a good level of competition. There’s already an Indian connection in the tournament as all six franchises are sister teams to IPL clubs, while former cricketers like Dinesh Karthik and Uthappa have been heavily involved in it since its inception.
“I think it should be both ways—SA20 players playing in the IPL and IPL players playing in SA20. It would do cricket a world of good,” Uthappa, who’s working as a broadcaster in the league, said in an interview with SA20. “I think the fact that this tournament has come about and it’s been owned predominantly by the IPL franchise owners shows you that there’s enough and more talent here in South Africa. We’ve seen the young ones like Luandri Pretorius, who has been phenomenal, and I think there’s oodles of talent here ready to be discovered.”
Karthik had recently said he chose to play in the SA20 — for Paarl Royals — because he felt it was the best league in the world after the IPL. Uthappa said he agrees with his former teammate.
“I think the standard has been pretty phenomenal. I concur with Dinesh; I think it’s possibly the second-best tournament as far as cricket quality is concerned in T20 leagues after the IPL. I think the cricket is great. The crowds, the atmosphere, the energy here have been phenomenal. The grounds we play at are just so beautiful. Paarl is a fantastic venue to play cricket at. I think overall, this is incredibly exciting for South African cricket, and I’m certain it will go from strength to strength from here,” Uthappa added.
Uthappa also said he’s open to playing in the league in the coming years.
SA20 has reignited cricket’s passion in South Africa: Robin Uthappa
Reports from South Africa have suggested that the league is slowly bringing in a huge number of young audiences to the grounds. Uthappa also said that he has felt the energy of different venues and the ‘reignition’ of passion is tangible.
“The experience isn’t just today. As a broadcaster, for me, I’ve felt the energy at every venue I’ve been to. You can feel the energy at different grounds, and you know this is a very exciting time here. The crowds come in, even on weekdays, and the grounds are getting filled up. The excitement is there. I think it’s reignited the passion for cricket in this country, and I’m certain that many players will be noticing that. Players from different leagues around the world will be discussing how good the quality of cricket is here, and I think you’ll see a lot more international cricketers coming in,” he added.
The Royals are currently leading the table for 2025 and are closely followed by SunRisers Eastern Cape and MI Cape Town.
