For the first time in the tournament’s brief history, the playoffs will be held in Centurion at SuperSport Park on successive days, starting with the eliminator.
The opening match of the 2018 season will take place at home for the two-time SA20 champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape, as St George’s Park has been allocated the venue. After the 30-match league phase, the first qualifier will be conducted at the Gqeberha site to determine which team advances automatically to the Wanderers Stadium final in Johannesburg.
The Wanderers hosted the inaugural SA20 final before the game was shifted to Newlands for the second season. Although the reason for the decision to return to Johannesburg was not stated, capacity issues might have been the reason. The Wanderers is the biggest cricket ground in South Africa, with a capacity of 30,000 spectators.
SuperSport Park will hold the second qualifier and the eliminator on consecutive days, marking the second time in the tournament’s short history that the playoffs will be staged in Centurion. The only two venues left unoccupied by the marquee matches are Boland Park in Paarl and Kingsmead in Durban.
The Sunrisers’ match against MI Cape Town on January 9 will mark the start of the SA20, which will have the same structure as season 2. Before the playoffs, every team plays every other team both at home and away. There are still 34 matches in total.
We’re excited to begin the season in Gqeberha with the team that won last year, and we anticipate an exciting summer of cricket action. According to a statement from SA20 league commissioner Graeme Smith, “We aim to deliver an unforgettable experience for both players and fans alike as we welcome international talent to the roaring pool of local stars.”
With each of the six teams having signed between 14 and 17 players, just a few shy of the maximum of 19, the SA20 squads are all but set. On October 1, a player auction will determine who is left in the running.
