New Delhi : Former South African captain Graeme Smith has a heartfelt desire for the charismatic Mahendra Singh Dhoni to play in the South Africa T20 League (SA20) after the Indian Premier League (IPL). Smith, South Africa’s most successful captain, is the SA20 commissioner. All six teams of this tournament are owned by IPL franchises.
Dhoni had retired from international cricket in 2020 but he is playing in IPL after this. Due to playing in the IPL, he is not yet eligible to play in foreign leagues. No Indian is participating in the first tournament of SA20. The Board of Cricket in India (BCCI) does not allow its active players to play in foreign leagues.
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Talking to media persons, Smith said, ‘It would be great to have players like Dhoni playing in the league. We respect the decision of BCCI. We have a good working relationship with them and we talk and learn from them regularly. He has immense experience of organizing such big competitions. He said, ‘As far as we are concerned, we will try to connect them (retired Indian players) with the league.
We want to create a competitive cricket league. It will be very important for a player like Dhoni to join our league. If I get a chance, I will talk to him. The jerseys and logos of the teams of the South African league are similar to the IPL, and in such a situation, this tournament seems to be another form of IPL. The BCCI has raised concerns over the way teams are promoting themselves in South Africa but Smith said the Indian board has not spoken to him about any such thing. He said, ‘We have close relations with BCCI and so far no such thing has been raised.’ (agency)