As revealed by ESPNcricinfo last week, Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, and Moeen Ali are among the 11 English players who have signed up for the CSA’s new T20 league. Eoin Morgan and Jason Roy are also participating. Among the league’s direct foreign signings to date, English has the most representation. Sri Lanka comes next with ten players, including Niroshan Dickwella. The best pay will go to English players. While Moeen will receive $400,000, players like Buttler and Livingstone can anticipate making US$ 500,000 each to compete in the league in January and February of the following year.
Without naming them, CSA stated on Wednesday that it had signed over 30 well-known athletes for the competition. However, a list of the participants is available on ESPNcricinfo.
As anticipated, the list does not include any players from Pakistan. There have been rumours that they wouldn’t be chosen since IPL franchise owners have effectively banned Pakistani players from participating. While stating that the league does not participate in selections, a league official claimed that Pakistan’s schedule restrictions—where they have home series and the PSL this year—had contributed to their unavailability.
The list also includes the players’ expected salary, which range from $30,000 to $500,000. Due to that ceiling, this league is now vying with the ILT20 from the UAE for the position of second-most lucrative league in cricket, behind the IPL. The two leagues are vying for the top players in the globe as well as a certain time slot; the ILT20 has been paying top players up to $450,000.
The total prize pool for each of the six franchises is anticipated to be $2 million, while it is not yet known. Any player earning more than that will still receive their full wage from the pot, but anything over $250,000 will be seen as a marketing expense. In Buttler’s case, the purse will cover $250,000 of his pay, but he will really receive $500,000; the remaining $250,000 will go toward the league’s marketing expenses.
There will be 17-man teams for each of the six franchises, with up to five players – three from outside, but no two from the same nation, one South African international, and one uncapped South African player – being pre-signed. The remaining spots will be put up for sale in the coming weeks. Without any additional requirements, such as transformation targets, the league is likely to let four foreign players in the starting XI.
It is conceivable that there will be a matchup between players who play for a franchise in the IPL and the same team in the CSA’s league because all of the league’s franchises are owned by IPL owners. For instance, it is rumoured that Buttler and Holder have signed with the Paarl franchise owned by the Rajasthan Royals, Theekshana has signed with the Johannesburg franchise owned by the Super Kings, and Buttler is thought to have signed with the Durban franchise owned by the Lucknow Super Giants.
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