South Africa hopeful of Indian players taking part in Global T20 league

What's the story?

Cricket South Africa (CSA) CEO Harron Lorgat is hopeful that the BCCI would allow Indian players to be part of CSA's Global T20 League in the coming editions of the tournament.

Though disappointed by the Indian board's decision to pull out of the Boxing Day Test which was expected to be part of the schedule during India's upcoming tour of South Africa, Lorgat understands the jam-packed nature of the international cricket left the BCCI with no other alternative.

"We are disappointed that India won't be playing the Boxing Day Test because of their own tight schedule which is going into the far end of December by the time the Sri Lankan home series gets over. I believe BCCI too has its own challenges as far as scheduling is concerned," Lorgat said.

BCCI's stance of not allowing their players to take in T20 leagues outside the IPL is also something Lorgat has little control on, but he is hopeful that the situation changes in the future.

"We are happy that all top T20 players from different countries are going to take part in the tournaments. If the Indians walk into this league, it would be good for world cricket and of course for the league. There are 13 countries taking part in the league and I hope the Indians will some day be part of our T20 league," Lorgat said.

In case you didn't know...

With the 2019 World Cup less than two years away, India are set to play a number of ODI matches in the lead up to the big tournament.

India are currently playing Sri Lanka in their own backyard and will welcome the island nation back on their own turf later this year with a limited-overs series against Australia also scheduled for September.

The heart of the matter

The BCCI's decision to include the home series against Sri Lanka in an already tightly-packed schedule meant that India's tour of South Africa, which had originally included the Boxing Day Test, got postponed, with the first Test set to be played only on January 3, 2018.

The absence of the festive Test fixture, which is part of their annual calendar, did disappoint Cricket South Africa, especially considering the fact that they had been in touch with the BCCI regarding the schedule over the past 18 months.

Lorgat, however, was careful not to upset the BCCI top brass, downplaying the reasons for the postponement of the tour. With a packed international schedule, with the focus primarily on limited-overs cricket, Lorgat took solace in India's busy home season.

He, did, however, make a call to his Indian counterparts to allow the Indian players to play in South Africa's Global T20 League, which is set for its debut later this year.

What's next?

After the corruption that has marred the Ram Slam T20, Lorgat made it clear Cricket South Africa will leave no stone unturned in their efforts to prevent any untoward incidents in their new venture.

Eight privately owned franchises will compete against each other in the T20 tournament which will begin in November with the final scheduled for December 16.

Extra Cover: Shahid Afridi and Alex Hales included in the T20 Global League player draft

Author's take

Lorgat is well within his right to express his disappointment at South Africa not getting an opportunity to play the Boxing Day Test at home as it was something they had been planning with the BCCI for quite some time.

But he was also careful not to go overboard with his comments, especially considering the might of the BCCI in international cricket affairs.

Hoping the Indian players to take part in a T20 league outside of the IPL is still a far-fetched idea though as the BCCI is unlikely to let that happen anytime soon.