JOHANNESBURG: Leading global online betting platform Betway was Wednesday announced as title sponsor of SA20, South Africa’s upcoming franchise-based T20 league.
The multi-year partnership, financial terms for which were not disclosed, will amplify both brands in key territories around the world, giving SA20 a global footprint in its inaugural year.
SA20 joins Betway’s cricket sponsorship portfolio that includes agreements with Cricket South Africa and Cricket West Indies. The Super Group-owned brand also have a brand ambassador agreement retired UK cricketer Kevin Pietersen, who regularly writes a column on the Betway Insider; the brand’s editorial hub.
With the end goal of being South Africa’s number one sport and entertainment brand, SA20 has ambitions to be the biggest cricket league in the world outside of India.
The agreement comes as the excitement continues to build for the tournament before the first ball is bowled between MI Cape Town and Paarl Royals at Newlands on January 10.
Anthony Werkman, CEO of Betway said: “It’s a great privilege for Betway to become the title sponsor of the inaugural Betway SA20 as we continue to position ourselves as a market leader with our cricket offering on our sportsbook.
“With the competition drawing attention from all corners of the world and with the huge excitement building for the launch of the tournament, we are delighted to see the Betway brand continue to showcase its long-standing commitment to the sport with another top-tier sponsorship.”
Graeme Smith, Betway SA20 League commissioner, said: “This is another significant milestone for us as we welcome Betway to our growing list of invested partners.
“They are a global brand with a passionate interest in cricket around the world and we look forward to seeing the Betway SA20 scale new markets and audiences globally.”
South Africa’s premier T20 league will kick off on January 10, with 33 matches taking place in six locations in South Africa – Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, Gqeberha, Cape Town and Paarl.
The final is set for the Wanderers in Johannesburg on February 11, where the inaugural SA20 champions will be crowned. Barring Indian players, some of the world’s best T20 players will be on show including the World Cup-winning stars, Jos Buttler, Adil Rashid and Eoin Morgan and the Proteas’ world class talent.
All six SA20 franchises have common ownership with IPL teams. SA20 last month wrapped up a 10-year broadcast agreement with ViacomSports 18 in India, which, as per SportzPower’s understanding, is valued at $90 million over the rights tenure.
The teams involved are: Durban’s Super Giants, Joburg Super Kings, MI Cape Town, Paarl Royals, Pretoria Capitals and Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
In the previous month, Viacom18 acquired exclusive rights to the competition in India. The partnership has been inked for 10 years.
The inaugural season of SA20 will consist of six teams – Durban’s Super Giants, Joburg Super Kings, MI Cape Town, Paarl Royals, Pretoria Capitals, and Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
