NEW DELHI: South African cricket legend and SA20 ambassador Allan Donald has voiced his hopes of seeing more Indian players in the South African T20 league, but acknowledged that the decision ultimately lies with the BCCI.
Speaking during an online media interaction, Donald reflected on the impact of Dinesh Karthik, the first Indian cricketer in the tournament, and shared his thoughts on SA20’s ambition to become the second-biggest T20 league after the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
“I think, you know, we all know DK (Dinesh Karthik) and his qualities. I was with him at Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2016… He was a serious player,” Donald said. “This year, we saw bits and pieces of him being the quality player he is with the Paarl Royals. I don’t think we’ve seen the best of DK yet. He made some significant scores when it really mattered, especially here at Paarl when the ball turned a lot on a very slow pitch.”
ALSO READ:SA20 final – Allan Donald backs MI Cape Town but warns of Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s momentum
Donald also revealed that South African players have been speculating about which Indian cricketers they would like to see in SA20. “I was with DSG [Durban’s Super Giants] this summer, and players are starting to talk about which Indian cricketer they’d love to see. Many South African cricketers see Indian players as their heroes – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, you name them. If I had to pick, from a bowling point of view, I’d go with Jasprit Bumrah. If it’s a batsman, then it’s Virat Kohli.”
ALSO READ:Sunrisers Eastern Cape put their hat-trick bid on the line against first-timers MI Cape Town
On the question of whether the BCCI should allow more Indian players to participate in leagues like SA20, Donald was diplomatic. “It’s not for me to decide. The BCCI is the strongest cricket board on the planet. It would be great to see young, talented Indian cricketers in SA20. If they were available, Graeme Smith and his team would definitely grab that chance.”
Donald also addressed the rumours about potential league expansion. “There’s a little rumour going around at the moment, and I saw on Instagram this morning about whether two more franchises could be added. There was even a poster of ‘Royal Challengers Bloemfontein’ – who knows? We’ll see what pops up at the end of the year.”
As for SA20’s ambition to become the biggest league after the IPL, Donald was full of praise for how the tournament has been organised. “I sat in the first year and thought, this is a massive competition. The second year was even bigger, and now we’re reaching new heights. I can categorically say, as a proud South African, this is a big deal, and it’s only going to get bigger over the next 10 to 20 years.”
However, he conceded that SA20 still has a long way to go before matching the IPL. “Does any league match the IPL? No, there’s no league bigger than the IPL. But outside of India, this has the potential to be one of the biggest leagues. To already see so many world-class overseas batters here is superb. You can only maintain this league if you keep bringing in quality, both local and foreign. Long may it continue.”