Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag has hit back at former South Africa captain Graham Smith’s critical comments about the International League T20 (ILT20). Virender Sehwag said Graeme Smith might be jealous of the International League T20, which features a host of international stars.
ILT20 started on January 11 and will end on February 9. On the other hand, SA20 started on January 9 and will conclude on February 8. Graeme Smith, the commissioner of the SA20 league, recently criticized the ILT20. The T20 tournament in the UAE was not profitable for the game.
Feel the jealousy because we have so many international stars – Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag said Graham Smith’s comments were motivated by jealousy. He said the ILT20 attracted a large number of international stars while the SA20 struggled to bring in big names. Sehwag added that the mix of international players and local UAE talent is beneficial for the tournament.
“I feel jealous there because we have so many international stars, whereas their league is starved of international players. I understand his (Smith’s) pain, but it’s better for the ILT20. You can see established players here with legends and seasoned professionals. along with some local UAE talent rubbing shoulders,” said Virender Sehwag on the Snitch YouTube channel.
SA20 and ILT20 compete to be the Second Most Prominent Cricket League
Competing between January and February since 2023, the SA20 and ILT20 are vying to become the second most prominent franchise-based cricket league after the IPL. The SA20 was marred by controversy, including South Africa losing the bilateral series, but it also saw the rise of several T20 players.
The SA20 follows the structure of the T20 leagues and allows teams to field up to four foreign players in their playing XI, with the majority of the squad made up of domestic players. The ICC has imposed an overseas player limit for T20 leagues, but affiliated countries’ events such as the ILT20 and MLC are exempt from this rule.
The ILT20 allows up to nine foreign players in the XI, with four domestic players also included in the list. In contrast, the SA20 requires teams to have 11 domestic players in their 19-man squad, including at least one under-22 teenager who has not played in the tournament before.
We see ourselves very differently from ILT20 – Graeme Smith
Speaking at the captain’s day press conference in Cape Town, Graeme Smith criticized the ILT20, saying such leagues are harmful to cricket because there is not enough investment in domestic cricket. He emphasized that the SA20, unlike the ILT20, was aimed at benefiting South African players.
“We see ourselves very differently from the ILT20. We are a South African league with a majority of South African players and our main objective is to benefit South African players,” Smith said.
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