SA20 2024 schedule announced; Joburg Super Kings and Sunrisers Eastern Cape to kickstart tournament from January 10 onwards
The second edition of the SA20 League will kickstart on January 11, 2024, with a rematch of the first edition's semi-final between the Joburg Super Kings (JSK) and defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) at the iconic Wanderers Stadium.
The tournament will feature a total of 34 matches, courtesy of the new playoffs system while the final will be played on February 10. The opening set of matches features the runners-up of the inaugural edition, Pretoria Capitals facing the Paarl Royals. The MI Cape Town will face the Durban Super Giants (DSG) as well.
The franchises have made their retentions and will have the opportunity to spruce up the squads during the upcoming mini-auction on September 27. Betway SA20 League Commissioner, Graeme Smith said during the unveiling of the fixtures for the second season:
“With the Season 2 auction around the corner, the momentum is building and we are thrilled to announce these fixtures. We have a jam-packed opening week of matches which will captivate fans around the country."
The former Proteas skipper also emphasized on the change in timings for the mid-week fixtures, which will now take place from 5:30 PM local time.
"We have been intentional in giving families, friends and our new fans an opportunity to watch as many matches as possible, with mid-week fixtures starting from 17h30 and weekends providing prime summer evening viewing," he added.
The inaugural edition of the tournament faced competition from the UAE-based International League T20 (ILT20). There will be a standoff in 2024 as well as the ILT20 plan to begin their second season from January 13, 2024, onwards.
SA20 full schedule with timings and venues
All six teams will play all of the other franchises twice in a round-robin format. The inaugural season featured the traditional semi-finals after the league stage, which has now been changed to a playoff structure, much like the other major T20 tournaments around the globe.
According to a statement by the SA20, the new playoffs format is as follows:
"The League announced a new playoff structure for Season 2; with a Qualifier 1, Eliminator and a Qualifier 2 setting up the road to the Final. The top two teams will play each other in Qualifier 1, followed by the Eliminator between the third and fourth-placed teams. The loser of Qualifier 1 and the winner of the Eliminator will battle it out in Qualifier 2, for a chance to book their place in the Final, against the winner of Qualifier 1."
Have a look at the entire schedule for SA20 2024 right here:
Who will win the second edition of the SA20? Let us know what you think.