After its inception in 2023, South Africa’s SA20 is rising quickly in popularity, attracting not just the domestic crowd but a global audience as well. Plus, the energetic atmosphere at the beautiful South African venues adds a punch to the games.
But, perhaps, it’s the SA20 franchise owners whose connection with the Indian Premier League (IPL) has fuelled the T20 league’s growth. Since the owners are from India, it has made sure that the league gets significant viewers from one of the biggest cricket markets in the world.
So who are the SA20 team owners after all? And which teams do they own?
In this article, we’ll look at the owners of the SA20 teams.
Durban’s Super Giants Owner | RPSG Sports Private Limited
Just a year after buying Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, the RPSG Group ventured into investing in an overseas sister franchise. They zeroed in on South Africa’s Durban to set up their base.
The RPSG Group operates Durban’s Super Giants franchise through its subsidiary, RPSG Sports Private Limited. The group is an Indian multinational corporation and has businesses in major sectors.
Joburg Super Kings Owner | Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited
One of the most successful IPL franchises, Chennai Super Kings, owners have added a couple of teams to their inventory. One of them is the Joburg Super Kings (JSK) in the SA20.
Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited owns the Johannesburg-based franchise. Former ICC and BCCI President N. Srinivasan holds a majority stake in the venture.
MI Cape Town Owner | Indiawin Sports Private Limited
This name may not sound familiar, but it’s a sister franchise of another IPL-winning team, Mumbai Indians (MI). Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), one of India’s biggest conglomerates, owns the Cape Town-based team, naming it MI Cape Town.
RIL operates the team through its subsidiary, Indiawin Sports Private Limited, which has the presence of Nita Ambani and Akash Ambani on its board. They also own teams in the ILT20 (MI Emirates) and MLC (MI New York).
Paarl Royals Owner | Royals Sports Group
The owners of Rajasthan Royals, who won the inaugural IPL season in 2008, secured the rights for the Paarl-based franchise. The Royals Sports Group, headlined by Manoj Badale, manages the Paarl Royals.
This is the third franchise cricket team they have under their wings, with Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) being the other.
Pretoria Capitals Owner | JSW Sports
One of South Africa’s capital cities, Pretoria, got a fitting owner. JSW Sports, who co-owns Delhi Capitals in the IPL, bought the Pretoria-based team.
JSW Sports is a subsidiary company of the JSW Group, which is an Indian multinational corporation with a presence in steel, energy, cement, and many more sectors. Apart from their investment in Pretoria Capitals, JSW Sports owns franchises in different sports leagues in India.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape Owner | Sun TV Network Limited
The last franchise on the list is Sunrisers Eastern Cape. Under the leadership of Aiden Markram, the franchise won the first two editions of SA20.
India’s media corporation, Sun TV Network Limited, owns Sunrisers Eastern Cape. They also have a Hyderabad-based team, Sunrisers Hyderabad, in the IPL.
Kalanithi Maran, who is the founder of the company, and his daughter, Kavya Maran, oversee the operation of the team.
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