There are a plethora of T20 leagues being played around the world to cash in on the growing popularity of T20 cricket in general, and franchise cricket in particular. The Indian Premier League was the pioneer of the franchise cricket format and continues to remain the most popular tournament, by far.
We are going to look at the IL 2023 season from a betting perspective and try to identify some of the best betting markets available for the tournament.The other Leagues, including the BBL, CPL, and Super Smash have quite a large following too, but none of them come even close to the popularity of the IPL. However, none of the recent leagues have been able to generate as much hype as the SA T20 League, whose inaugural season begins on the 10th of January.
Mini IPL?
The South Africa T20 League or the SA20, as it is popularly known, will essentially replace the Mzansi Super League, which was established in 2018. However, after playing for just 2 seasons, the Super League became financially unviable for Cricket South Africa, who have now formed a new entity in partnership with the broadcaster SuperSport, as well as Sundar Raman, who is a former COO of the IPL. This league can essentially be seen as an extension of the IPL, as all the six franchises in the SA20 are owned by teams from the IPL.
SA T20 2023 - Basic Format Explained
As mentioned earlier, the SA20 will begin on the 10th of January with the opening match between the MI Cape Town and Paarl Royals. Each of the six teams will face each other twice in a double round-robin format, with the top-4 teams advancing to the playoffs. The first-ranked team will face the 4th ranked team, while the second-ranked team will face the third-ranked team in the semifinals. The winner of each semifinal will face each other in the Finals, scheduled to be held on the 11th of February at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
Complete Squads and Players Lists for SA T2023
MI Cape Town
Rashid Khan (C), Kagiso Rabada, Dewald Brevis, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Rassie Van Der Duusen, Ryan Rickelton, George Linde, Beuran Hendricks, Duan Jansen, Delano Potgieter, Odean Smith, Ziyaad Abrahams, Wesley Marshall, Olly Stone, Waqar Salamkheil, Grant Roelofsen, Jofra Archer.
Paarl Royals
David Miller (captain), Andile Phehlukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, Codi Yusuf, Corbin Bosch, Dane Vilas, Eoin Morgan, Evan Jones, Ferisco Adams, Imran Manack, Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, Lungisani Ngidi, Mitchell Van Buuren, Obed Mccoy, Ramon Simmonds, Tabraiz Shamsi, Wihan Lubbe.
Pretoria Capitals
Wayne Parnell (captain), Adil Rashid, Anrich Nortje, Cameron Delport, Daryn Dupavillon, Eathan Bosch, Jimmy Neesham, Josh Little, Kusal Mendis, Marco Marais, Migael Pretorius, Phil Salt, Rilee Rossouw, Senuran Muthusamy, Shane Dadswell, Shaun Von Berg, Theunis De Bruyn, William Jacks.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape
Aiden Markram (captain), Adam Rossington, Aya Gqamane, Brydon Carse, James Fuller, Jon-Jon Smuts, Jordan Cox, Jordan Hermann, Junaid Dawood, Marco Jansen, Marques Ackerman, Mason Crane, Ottniel Baartman, Roelof Van Der Merwe, Sarel Erwee, Sisanda Magala, Tom Abell, Tristan Stubbs.
Joburg Super Kings
Aaron Phangiso, Alzarri Joseph, Donavon Ferreira, Faf du Plessis (captain), George Garton, Gerald Coetzee, Harry Brook, Janneman Malan, Kyle Verreynne, Leus Du Plooy, Lewis Gregory, Lizaad Williams, Maheesh Theekshana, Malusi Siboto, Nandre Burger, Neil Brand, Reeza Hendricks, Romario Shepherd.
Durban's Super Giants
Quinton De Kock (captain), Akila Dananjaya, Christiaan Jonker, Dilshan Madushanka, Dwaine Pretorius, Hardus Viljoen, Heinrich Klaasen, Jason Holder, Johnson Charles, Junior Dala, Keemo Paul, Keshav Maharaj, Kyle Mayers, Matthew Breetzke, Prenelan Subrayen, Reece Topley, Simon Harmer, Wiaan Mulder.
Betting tips and Predictions for SA T20 2023
SA20 Series winner
Paarl Royals (4.50)
Looking at the odds being offered on some of the reputed cricket betting sites, we can see that according to most bookmakers, the Paarl Royals and MI Cape Town are the favorites to win, with odds of 4.00.
While MI Cape Town is one of the most hyped teams in the tournament, we feel that the Paarl Royals have a better balance in terms of talent. They have some of the biggest hitters in the business, including captain David Miller, Joss Buttler, Eoin Morgan, and Jason Roy. The bowling will be spearheaded by the ever-reliable Lungi Ngidi.
Other experienced seamers in the squad include Obed McCoy and Ferisco Adams. Ramon Simmonds has played just 7 matches so far but has been quite promising. Shamsi and Fortuin will lead the spin attack and both have picked up more than 100 wickets in this format. They also have a world-class all-rounder in the form of Andile Phehlukwayo. Overall, the Royals seem to have struck a nice balance between young and experienced players.
The Rajasthan Royals had won the inaugural season of the IPL despite starting as the underdogs. Playing under the same owners, the Paarl Royals will be looking to emulate the performance of the original Royals.
Dark Horse for SA T20 2023
Durban's Super Giants (5.00)
While the MI Cape Town and the Paarl Royals start as the favorites to win the inaugural season of the SA20, we feel that the Durban Super Giants can pose a real challenge to them.
Most betting sites are offering the odds of about (5.00) for the Super Giants to win and it might be worth taking a bet on them. The team will be led by Quinton de Kock, who has plenty of experience in the T20s as well as franchise cricket. He, along with Heinrich Klaasen and Johnson Charles can strike the ball cleanly. Christiaan Jonker has scored more than 2000 runs in T20s and is a reliable middle-order batsman and so is Kyle Mayers.
The team has plenty of all-rounders in the squad including Keemo Paul, Jason Holder, Wiaan Mulder, and Dwaine Pretorius. The seam bowlers have a lot of experience too, as Junior Dala, Kyle Abbott, and Reece Topley have all played 100+ T20 matches.
While the Super Giants will quite certainly make it into the semifinals, it wouldn’t be surprising if we see them play in the final, giving a tough fight to the title contenders.
Player of the Series for SA T20 2023
Jos Buttler (11.00)
There are many contenders for this title as the inaugural season of the SA20 will see some incredible talent take part. After taking a thorough look at all the probable players on this list, we feel that Jos Buttler is a front-runner to win the Player of the Series award. Buttler has an incredible record in the T20s. With 8905 runs in 314 innings, Buttler has an average of 34.25 and has scored all these runs at an incredible strike rate of 145.38.
Jos had an incredible outing in the most recent season of the IPL and ended up winning the Orange Cap. He scored 863 runs from 17 matches at an average of 57.53 and a strike rate of 149.05. He scored 4 centuries, which is the joint-highest in a single season, and played an important part in getting the Royals into the finals.
With odds of 11.00 on Betway, we would recommend backing Jos Buttler to win the Player of the Series award.
Other Bets and Predictions for SA T20 2023
To Finish Bottom
Sunrisers Eastern Cape (2.60)
To Reach The Final
Mi Cape Town (2.20)
