South Africa’s domestic franchise league, the SA20, has garnered a lot of traction and praise even though it was launched a few years ago. SA20 has made its presence felt strongly in the world of cricket and the influence of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has not been denied in this tournament.
In fact, all SA20 franchises are owned by IPL team owners, and most of the players, apart from the Indians, represent their teams in the South African league, which plays a major role in the tournament’s growing popularity worldwide.
SA20 Second best T20 league after IPL: Robin Uthappa
Recently, former India wicket-batter Dinesh Karthik praised the SA20, where he is associated with Paarl Royals, and now former India batter Robin Uthappa has showered rich praise on the Cricket South Africa (CSA) T20 leagues, which featured six city teams.
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Robin Uthappa, who is enjoying commentary in SA20 2025, has hailed the high standards of cricket in the South African T20 league. Uthappa even called SA20 the world’s best T20 league after the Indian Premier League (IPL) in terms of quality of cricket.
Robin Uthappa was quoted by the Times of India as saying: “I think the standard has been quite phenomenal. I agree with Dinesh; I think it’s maybe the second best tournament in terms of the quality of cricket in the T20 leagues after the IPL. I think the cricket is great.”
Robin Uthappa welcomes the exciting atmosphere in the South African league
He also praised the exciting atmosphere created by the passionate crowds, the electric energy in the stadiums and the stunning beauty of the place, especially in Paarl.
Uthappa added: “The crowds, the atmosphere and the energy here have been phenomenal. The grounds we play on are just so beautiful. Paarl is a fantastic place to play cricket. I think overall, this is incredibly exciting for South African cricket and I’m sure will go from strength to strength.”
The former India batter also believes that there should be more player exchanges between the IPL and SA20, as this will help players from both leagues gain valuable experience through inter-league participation.
He also hailed Luandri Pretorius as a phenomenal find and felt there was a lot of talent ready to be discovered through the T20 league in South Africa.
Robin Uthappa calls for player exchange between SA20 and IPL
Uthappa further explained, “I think it should be both ways – SA20 players playing in the IPL and IPL players playing in the SA20. It would do cricket a world of good. I think the fact that this tournament has come about and that the franchise owners have The predominantly owned IPL shows that you have enough and more talent in South Africa.”
He also reflected on fond memories of the 2007 T20 World Cup in Durban, where he began his international T20 journey. Robin Uthappa recalled the excitement of making his debut, saying that the entire 2007 T20 World Cup winning campaign was phenomenal.
Finally, Uthappa said that he is one of the biggest fans of Dinesh Karthik’s batting. He said they have played together since their teenage days. Robin signed off saying, “I think DK is one of the most sufficient shots to watch.”
