Former South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher on Friday advocated in favour of organising SA20, South Africa’s top T20 franchise league, in India and said it would be a stroke of genius. Boucher, one of the best wicketkeepers of his time, pointed out to how India moved their T20 franchise league IPL to South Africa in 2009 and said the Proteas could do the same.
Boucher also emphasised about both countries sharing a wonderful relationship, making the move a viable option.
“I think it’s a great idea. I’m not against it. The IPL happened in South Africa, and we can do the same, as both cricketing nations share a great relationship. Although the challenges of playing in India will be different, it will still be great. Maybe Graeme Smith (SA20 commissioner) can work on it,” Boucher told PTI.
Boucher also expressed hope that the SA20 will be a great success for South Africa in the same way that the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been in the past for India.
“IPL has boosted youngsters in India. The first edition of SA20 was a success despite being a trial one; the crowd came in large numbers to watch high-quality cricket. The one thing we can learn from the IPL is how it has boosted the youngsters in India, and that’s exactly what we are trying to do here,” Boucher said.