Mzansi Super League 2020 postponed owing to Covid-19 pandemic

All is not well in South African cricket, thanks to the ongoing tussle between Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) showing the country in bad light, and in what comes as news which has piled more misery on the board that CSA have confirmed the postponement of the 2020 edition of the Mzansi Super League.

The MSL, the premier franchise T20 competition in the country which commenced in 2018, was expected to salvage a disastrous financial year for CSA, despite the board having not struck a profitable broadcast deal for the competition, but the T20 extravaganza has now been postponed indefinitely due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

CSA’s acting chief executive Kugandrie Govender, in an official release, confirmed the news and revealed that the decision had to be taken owing to ‘various national and international logistical reasons caused by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic’.

"The 2020-21 global cricket calendar will be jam-packed, appreciating the ICC's efforts to fit as many missed international tours due to Covid-19 into this period. The impact of revised calendars for international cricket across all ICC members and other T20 leagues have had a knock-on effect on South African cricket scheduling,” Govender said in an official statement, reported Cricbuzz.

"The Covid-19 restrictions and uncertainty around international travel, including the state of control of South African borders, as well as border control at the country points of departure of international players, also compelled CSA to make this rational decision. Also, the unavailability of national players due to a revised and saturated season, would have diluted the quality that CSA envisions for MSL.

"The fact that we would have to play in empty grounds was another consideration, not only financially but also for player morale and team spirit, which links to fan support."

According to a Cricbuzz report, the South African players will instead be preparing for the WT20 primed to take place in India next year, and “a single round domestic franchise T20 competition will be staged in the second half of the impending summer.”

The 2019 edition of the MSL was won by the Faf du Plessis-led Paarl Rocks, who in the final downed a strong Tshwane Spartans that boasted of the likes of AB de Villiers and Heinrich Klaasen.