No sponsor, no problems, says CSA

Cricket SA’s desire to create a bigger, more attractive domestic T20 competition left the organisation no option but to sacrifice a sponsorship deal.

Johannesburg - Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) desire to create a bigger, more globally attractive domestic T20 competition - along the lines of the Indian Premier League (IPL) - left the organisation no option but to sacrifice a sponsorship deal for this year’s tournament.

The RamSlam no longer exists as CSA continues to wrap up planning for a new and improved tournament next year. The organisation’s head of marketing and commercialisation, Clive Eksteen, said it was understandable that there would be concern about CSA’s most popular domestic competition not carrying a sponsor’s name, but that the bigger picture needed to be understood.

“For CSA , it’s about where we want to go with the competition,” said Eksteen. “We really want to make it a global domestic competition and in our mind that is one where our international players are playing, plus some other internationals, plus our domestic players in one competition.”

Next year’s domestic T20 competition will undergo a major facelift and it is understood that eight privately or semi-privately owned, city-based franchises will form a new tournament that CSA hopes will have major financial backing that isat least on par with Australia’s Big Bash.

“In order for that revamp to occur, we only had one year of sponsorship available, and it’s quite hard for a sponsor to come in and be part of a competition for one year,” said Eksteen. “It’s a decision we took, that if RAM couldn’t be a part of the competition, we don’t have a sponsor for that one year of the competition.”

CSA will release more details about that revamp later this year, including the number of teams that will participate, the period in the calendar when the competition will take place and most importantly the player contracts for the event.

One concern for CSA is selling a tournament to potential sponsors that last season was enveloped in a match fixing scandal that is still to be resolved. Five players - Gulam Bodi, Thami Tsolekile, Jean Symes, Pumelela Matshikwe and Ethy Mbhalati - all received bans for their involvement in trying to fix matches. The investigation into who else was involved and the level of their involvement continues.

“(Potential) sponsors do bring it up but it’s not the reason for not wanting to sponsor. It’s obviously a concern for everyone, but I really do think the way (CSA) dealt with it and where we are at the moment, we are in a much better space this year,” said Eksteen.

This year’s tournament will feature the six franchises that currently make up the elite element of the domestic game. The tournament, to be known as the CSA T20 Domestic Challenge, will start with a double header at the Wanderers on November 12.

While those players currently involved with the Proteas in the Test series in Australia won’t be available until the final two weeks of the competition, CSA is hopeful that names such as Dave Miller, Aaron Phangiso, Dwaine Pretorius and Albie Morkel will be attractive enough to draw the crowds. Kevin Pietersen (Dolphins) and Kieron Pollard (Cape Cobras) are the only two foreign players who will participate this season.

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The Star