MSL 2021| Mzansi Super League 2021 cancelled due to Covid-19 scare
Cricket South Africa announced on Monday that the third season of the Mzansi Super League (MSL), scheduled to be played in February 2022, has been called off due to Covid-19 scare in the country. The MSL will be replaced with a domestic CSA T20 challenge featuring eight Division 1 teams.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has announced that the third season of the MSL, scheduled to be played in February 2022 has been cancelled with the Covid-19 scare in the country. The T20 league was played in 2018 and 2019 but was cancelled in 2020 because of the logistical challenges posed by the Covid pandemic. The board is now planning to stage a CSA T20 challenge with eight Division 1 teams in place of MSL.
The statement from the board said that the discovery of a new variant in Covid-19 has made it difficult to maintain the brand proposition of being the premium international T20 tournament.
"Discovery of new Omicron variant of Covid-19 made it difficult to maintain the brand proposition of being the premium international T20 tournament, due to increased travel restrictions as imposed by many nations on South Africa,” the statement read.
Pholetsi Moseki, CSA's acting CEO confirmed that a CSA T20 challenge will be played instead of MLS in February 2022.
"The decision to cancel the 2021 edition of the MSL is meant to allow CSA and its strategic partners to revamp and review the tournament post-Covid-19 to regain its market and commercial position," he stated.
"For its purposes, the MSL slot will again be replaced by a domestic CSA T20 Challenge, featuring the 8 (eight) Division 1 teams and this tournament will take place in February 2022."
South Africa is at alert level one of five with the least stringent restrictions due to the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in the country.