Former South Africa skipper and now commissioner of the recently inaugurated SA20, Graeme Smith wants to have MS Dhoni contribute to the league.
Dhoni who is now 41, plays only in the IPL after announcing his retirement from international cricket in 2020.
As Dhoni is committed to the IPL, he cannot play or contribute in overseas leagues. No Indian player has been allowed by the BCCI to participate in outside leagues.
Recently, in a media interaction, Smith says,
It will be amazing to have a guy like MS here. We respect the BCCI’s decision. We have created a good working relationship with them and we talk to them regularly, learn and bounce ideas off. They are hugely experienced in organising these types of big events.
In the SA20 League, all six teams are owned by IPL franchises and they also use more or less similar logos.
Moreover, this similarity makes the SA20 an extended arm of the IPL. However, the BCCI is not too happy with the usage of similar logos by South Africans.
From our perspective, we looked at one or two opportunities (retired Indian players). We wanted to build vibrant young and up and coming competitive cricketing league. Someone like MS would add a lot of value to our league to it. If there was an opportunity, I will be reaching out to him.
Smith clarifies that SA20 is not copying IPL in any way
On the other hand, Smith has clarified BCCI’s concern by saying that SA20 is a league in its own right and is not copying anything from the Indian league.
We have a close relationship with the BCCI and nothing of that sort has been raised.
Smith also spoke about how the stakeholders have responded to the new league to which Smith says,
The league has been blessed with some great individual performances from South Africans as well as the international names.
Adding further, he says,
Then at the stadiums to be able to get this type of energy we have got from our fans capturing the imagination after a negative period in the game has been incredible.
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