There will be no official transformation targets for the #T20 Global Destination League, but there will be guidelines put in place.

While the targets won’t officially be put in place, the eight owners of the respective franchises will be encouraged by CSA to respect and understand the interests and ethos of the South African cricket structures.

In the domestic game in South Africa, there must be six players of colour, of which at least three must be black African, while there must be at least five players of colour in the international setup, of which at least two must be black African.

Like the majority of domestic T20 leagues around the world, there will be a maximum of four overseas spots allowed for each side, which understandably complicates the transformation targets.

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Speaking exclusively to SACricketmag.com, CSA CEO Haroon Lorgat says that it will be made clear to the eight owners of the respective franchises that it will not just be in the country’s interests to adhere to the transformation targets – it’s believed that doing so will be beneficial for their own financial interests, in a country that is doing its utmost to invest in and identify talented black African players.

‘There’s no specific targets in place, but team owners will be orientated with regards to the country’s transformation imperatives and CSA’s own transformation philosophy,’ says Lorgat. ‘CSA expects that all franchises will support the transformation goals as it would be in their interest to do so and would enhance their own franchise brand value.’

The bidding for acquiring team ownership ends on 28 April, with CSA favouring, but not necessarily ensuring, that there’s a 50-50 split between local owners and overseas owners. The bidders need to pick the venue they wish their franchise to play at from the 11 choices that were announced earlier in the week. The highest bidder will be first in line to pick who they want their international star to be.

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‘The highest bidder will get to make the choice, but we are going to strongly suggest to them that they take the players’ interests into account. For instance, Kevin Pietersen will want to play at Kingsmead, Chris Gayle will probably want to return to the Wanderers, and Kieron Pollard has always played for the Cobras,’ says Lorgat.

The next announcement to be made, which is expected after the long Easter weekend, is who the eight marquee domestic stars will be. The national selectors, as well as Lorgat, will sit down to decide who they’ll be over the weekend.

‘There are many players to choose from, and it just means that the players who get left out will be put in the draft along with the other overseas players, which is exciting as there is there will be a lot of talent in that draft. Hopefully the big names to have already been included will encourage more overseas players to take interest,’ concludes Lorgat.

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