Sky Sports buy broadcast rights for SA20

The SA20 is set for its first season from January 10, with six sides involved in a 33-game event, spread over four weeks

South Africa's new franchise T20 competition will be screened live on Sky Sports after the broadcaster tied up a deal to air the tournament.

The SA20 is set for its first season from January 10, with six sides involved in a 33-game event, spread over four weeks.

Described as a "landmark deal" by Graeme Smith, the head of the SA20, Sky Sports will carry the action exclusively in the UK for five years, having added the competition to a collection which also includes the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash.

^{The SA20 will be screened live in the UK by Sky Sports [Getty Images]}

Sky's head of cricket, Bryan Henderson, said: "We are thrilled to add the SA20 to our portfolio of cricket rights. We believe it will be a terrific competition with some of the best English players involved."

Jos Buttler, Sam Curran and Jason Roy are the big English names involved in the SA20, although a handful who were originally expected to take part will no longer feature.

SA20 2023

Teams and grounds: Durban Super Giants (Kingsmead), Joburg Super Kings (Wanderers), MI Cape Town (Newlands), Paarl Royals (Boland Park), Pretoria Capitals (SuperSport Park), Sunrisers Eastern Cape (St George’s Park)

Dates: January 10-February

Format: Round robin followed by semi-finals and final

Moeen Ali opted for the UAE's International League T20, which runs concurrently to the SA20, instead of a visit to South Africa, while Harry Brook has reportedly been withdrawn from a stint with Joburg Super Kings by the ECB.

The SA20 is South Africa's latest attempt to establish a presence on the global T20 circuit. It is being supported by considerable investment from owners of IPL franchises.