SA20 can learn about broadcast marketing from IPL: Graeme Smith

Mumbai, Nov 12 (PTI) Former South African skipper and SA20 league commissioner Graeme Smith on Wednesday felt the tournament could learn a few tricks in broadcast marketing from the Indian Premier League.

Smith said it was crucial for SA20 to find its heroes, whose charisma could resonate with fans in the country, and that the marketing should be done around them.

"One thing that we would like to build in South Africa is the heroes. In India you've got so many incredible heroes that have built the game and that's obviously through the fans' support for those heroes," Smith said during the SA20 India Day here.

"(It is) something we are working on hard in South Africa, to bring the new generation, the next tier of guys start to really resonate with fans in South Africa and India and around the world.

"...and that comes with performance but then, the broadcaster marketing around it, I think, is something that we certainly can learn from the IPL," he said.

The fourth edition of the six-team SA20 will begin on December 26 with MI Cape Town being the defending champions.

Smith admitted that SA20 could incorporate rules like IPL's 'impact sub' but asserted that Proteas need to have more all-rounders competing at the highest level.

"We haven't done the 'impact player' yet because, for us, developing all-rounders is slightly more important. We're still a young league, only three years old and in time we'll start looking to see how we can grow like the IPL has," he said.

"Yes, it (impact player rule) does introduce another local player into the playing line-up but where South African cricket is in — a very much a developmental phase still — we're trying.

"With your (Indian) national team, you could probably put up two or three different national teams, (but) where I feel South African cricket is, it still needs that competition, it still needs to develop players, it still needs to develop all-rounders so we can see our national teams competing consistently again at that level." Smith said SA20 was not planning to expand.

"One thing that SA20 has got right is that the six teams have been equally competitive. Probably the amount of South African local players has been at a good standard.

"If you introduce a new team or another team then you've got to look at another 20 to 26 South African players and you need to make sure that that quality is there to be able to keep all six, seven, eight teams of a high standard," he added.

South Africa batter and Paarl Royals captain David Miller said nothing beats playing in a home T20 league.

"All the leagues are very unique in their own ways, but for me, being a South African, playing SA20 at home is the best thing ever," he said.

"You travel around the world playing all these other leagues but having one in the back garden... you can't beat it. Playing in front of your family, friends and fans in South Africa that have been supporting the project for years, so it's really cool in that aspect," Miller added.

Smith added that the stadiums in South Africa are also under renovation keeping the 2027 ODI World Cup in mind, and that the expansion of SA20 would be considered only after the fifth season.

"With the 2027 World Cup, there's been big investment into stadium infrastructure, lights, the quality of pitches. We've seen that really being developed over this last six months," he said.

"All the stadiums now you'll see (with) new lights this year in the run-up to the 2027 World Cup. They're looking at improving pitches and so on. Post Season Five is where we will look to grow," Smith added. PTI DDV AM DDV AM AM