SA20 Commissioner Graeme Smith during the Betway SA20 Captain’s day prior to the start of season 4. Held at the Westin Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa on the 23rd December 2025. (Photo credit: Shaun Roy / Sportzpics for SA20)

TimesofIndia.com in Durban: SA20 is in the middle of its fourth edition and the league commercially is having its best edition till date. The stadiums are full, investors are happy and the league is growing from strength to strength with every match. With hundreds, hat-tricks, Super Over and tight contests, quality of cricket has been right up there and League Commissioner Graeme Smith is very happy to see the progress. In an interaction on the sidelines of a fixture in Durban, the former South Africa captain opens up on the commercial success, support of IPL franchises, role of Cricket South Africa and more.

Excerpts:

This season has been very unlike in the past in terms of rain interruptions. Has that been a challenge?

I think firstly, we’ve seen growth in the first two weeks. Viewership, crowd attendance, atmosphere, and cricket has been good. So I think that was really exciting. Unfortunately, you can’t always predict these things, and when these unseasonal types of fronts come through certain parts of South Africa, it’s a challenge, especially when you’ve got a game a day and you’re moving around the country. But I think right now we’ve just got to stay positive. There’s a lot of cricket still left to be played. We’re only halfway really in the season.And the tension and the atmosphere, and I can just feel in the mind of people that are talking, wanting to come to games. Even one or two washed out games, watching how the crowds haven’t left, it shows you that the product I think has really stepped up another level this year.

SA20 League Commissioner Graeme Smith during an event ahead of Season 4 of SA20, South Africa’s premier T20 franchise league, in Mumbai.

As a League Commissioner and administrator, what markers do you look at to evaluate success.

I don’t know if I like the word administrator, but, you know, I mean, obviously we’re always following metrics. I think for us, ticketing is a big one. So we’ve seen a big increase in ticketing. I think we’ve four more sold-out games already than we were at the same point last year. Over 27 or 28% increase in ticketing in the first half of the season. Viewership is up in India, viewership is up here.Digital growth is up. The other metrics that’s important for me is always got to be the cricket. The pitches have been slightly better on a consistent level than they were last year. We’ve seen closer games, super overs, hundreds, hat-tricks, and, a number of last over finishes. For me the quality of cricket has been excellent this year. I’m hoping that over the next two weeks we’ll really see the same or even get better.

Do you think the SA20 now needs more teams from next season?

I don’t know if it requires it. The decision’s got to be that it’s got to add value. Outside IPL, we’ve seen other leagues get bigger and struggle, over longer periods. We also work very closely with Cricket South Africa on the future tours programmes and making sure that there’s enough international cricket happening around the SA20. There’s definitely interest in being a part of the league.

SA20 League Commissioner Graeme Smith during an event ahead of Season 4 of SA20, South Africa’s premier T20 franchise league, in Mumbai.

That’s not the issue. The issue is just what is right for the league going forward and when is the right time to add more teams. After the 27 World Cup, you know, the FTP, then it’s a little bit easier to work with. There’s more, space to work and manoeuvre if you want to grow the number of games, extend the league by another 20 games. You need another two, three weeks or whatever it is. I think post 2027 27, in the new cycle, we’ll work with Cricket South Africa and see what’s the best way forward.

SA20 has got global attention, what are the plans to sustain momentum?

Look, that’s always the case. There’s always, in the southern hemisphere, a lot of cricket on the go. Just look at India now. Women’s Premier League starts and there’s an Indian vs New Zealand series. We’ve been up against the Ashes and all that sort of stuff. I think the one thing about being here since the beginning is we’ve always built that way.We’ve never had a clean window. We’ve always had to build up against ILT20 or against, a busy southern hemisphere. And I think we’ve proven to be successful in that climate. You know, so our brains don’t work like that. Our brains are focused on, like, developing the best product. Making sure that people enjoy it, that cricket’s competitive, that the fans are filling the stadiums and having a great time.And hopefully we get some great sunshine in the next two weeks to really help with that momentum. I think the game every day and close games, we see, when we have two or three good games close together, how you can feel the tension shift and change. And, hopefully we’ll get that run of games now.

(L-R) Mark Boucher, SA20 League Commissioner Graeme Smith, Paarl Royals player David Miller, Joburg Super Kings captain Faf du Plessis, former Australian cricketer Tom Moody, and South African cricketer Hashim Amla during an event as they gear up for Season 4 of SA20, South Africa’s premier T20 franchise league, in Mumbai.

How much impact does SA20 have on the social critical scenario of South Africa as a community builder?

Well, I mean, we have obviously our social partners like Laureus where we’re investing in communities. I think the most important thing is that we’re also delivering money back to Cricket South Africa, which flows into growing the game. We, as SA20, have invested in our own development programmes as well. So we have SA20 schools, which is girls and boys in our over 700 schools.And then from an economy perspective, last year we brought over R4 billion to the economy, created 8,500 jobs. So those are some really great metrics in a very young product. You know, we’re delivering almost a world event every year in this country. From that perspective, I think being just around four years old now, I think we’ve done some amazing work around the social aspect of South Africa.

Do you see SA20 has come to a stage where it is changing the lives of cricketers who are coming from backgrounds where they did not have money to play cricket. Now they are in, you know, SA20 playing. Say someone like Mokoena who was spotted.

Graeme Smith Commissioner of SA20 during match 14 of the Betway SA20 season 4 between Pretoria Capitals (PC) and Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) held at the Supersport Park Stadium in Centurion , South Africa on the 5th January 2026. (Photo Credit: Arjun SIngh / Sportzpics for SA20)

I mean, it’s great. I actually watched his interview last night. Just listening to him, his first experience bowling at the Wanderers in a high-pressure game, and he’s done extremely well. He’s been throwing the ball in some of the most high-pressure moments as a young man. It’s great to see him coming through last year. I think credit to our franchises that have really got behind the youth programme that we’ve tried. The rookies have started now in the U23. I think IPL franchises are good at attracting youth and backing them.I think we’ve seen that in India. We see it here as well. And, you know, a lot more players are getting an opportunity to be recognised on a global stage. I was looking at it the other day. Over 10 years, you know, the player salaries will probably be close to a billion rand, if you take it over the 10-year period. And that’s a huge, huge uplift in South African cricket ecosystem for players. I think now as a youngster coming through, the cricket dream or from a job perspective, it’s looking highly strong for youngsters that want to make it or play.

What has been the biggest challenge as a League Commissioner? Identifying and freezing a window?

We’ve been pretty consistent in our window. I think this year is an anomaly. We normally, every year we start at January 9 and 10 after the New Year’s Test match and we run for those couple of weeks after that. This year because of South Africa being in India up until the 20th of December and the World Cup in February and there wasn’t any international cricket in the window.

SA20 captain’s and league commissioner Graeme Smith with the trophy (SA20 | X)

So, it made sense for us to start slightly earlier. But outside that, our window will generally always be the same, depending on when the New Year’s Test match starts and run for a couple of weeks after that. In terms of plugs, I think for us, what we’ve realised is a lot of what we’ve done has been really good and it’s about making sure we hit those same markers every year. Obviously, they’re improving. I think we would love to see the pool of South African players get bigger.So, now we’re starting to see across the six teams that the South African group of players are getting really strong. If you want to start adding more teams and stuff into the future, you need to start looking at another 20, 25 high-quality players that make sure when we add new franchises that there’s enough depth to make sure that the league remains equally competitive. And then, you know, for us, commercially, we’re having our strongest year. You know, we’re seeing corporate South Africa get behind us. Global broadcasters as well. So, I think it’s about now just making sure you go from strength to strength.

With regards to the investors and the IPL team owners here in SA20, you reckon it was very important to have patience from them because they are coming from a big, giant league?

I think having six IPL franchises for us has been amazing. I know not every other league has all IPL, but for us it’s been amazing because they’re equally competitive, they want to win, they invest in players. They’re highly driven to be successful. I think they’ve also had the patience to learn. So, when they move into a new region, they’ve had to learn about South Africa, learn about ticketing, hospitality, the way fans operate, you know, the culture as well.

Graeme Smith during match 15 of the Betway SA20 season 4 between MI Cape Town (MICT) and The Joburg Super Kings (JSK) held at the Newlands Cricket Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa on the 6th January 2026 (Photo credit: Ron Gaunt / Sportzpics for SA20)

But they’ve brought excellence to South African cricket, and that has been a huge asset. They bring excellence to the table and they push you. And that helps everyone get better.

One of the most important success factors of the new franchise leagues is the presence of superstars from other countries. In the last four years, has the SA20 developed as a viable alternative for the global players?

Obviously these things, not being in a clean window, are always FTP-related. You know, like Ben Stokes was under contract, but the Ashes is happening, he doesn’t come back, he gets replaced. And a poor owner, right. So, I think what you want is for those top players in your window to, if they’re not playing international cricket, to want to be here.And I think that’s the message we’re getting back from them. That they really love coming here, it’s highly competitive cricket. Obviously, it’s a great place to be over the summer, and there’s crowds, and it’s fun. Hopefully, also credit to the franchises. I think they play a huge role in attracting the international talent as well.

Sourav Ganguly is head coach of Pretoria Capitals this season. How has it been having him around?

No, we hope to get more and more, you know. There’s some great friends that we have in India. And like I say, we’ve worked closely with the BCCI as well.

Former cricketer Sourav Ganguly at an event, in Kolkata, West Bengal.

They’ve been really supportive in helping us make some key decisions over the years in terms of building the product. But, you know, to have Dada, you know, is a highlight. And I know, having chatted to him a number of times through the year, how seriously he’s taking this, and he wants to do well.He’s a competitive man. With the Capitals franchise, he has a big influential role. Now, coaching, so he’s put himself in the hot seat. I hope the rest of the season goes well for him. It’s been a huge asset to have people like him, Kumar Sangakkara, Stephen Fleming come out here for our players and also for the status of the league.

Keeping the game and the league clean. Has that been a big area of attention?

You can’t control everything. We do invest a lot of money in making sure that our anti-corruption units are strong, working with the ICC, best practise. We’ve had a very strong anti-corruption team here. We educate players on everything… We’ve seen a strong influence in the drug-free sport.We’ve seen anti-corruption. So we do all the educational stuff pre-tournament, constantly follow up on it. Make sure there’s good policing units around. And you’re right. It is a risk to your league. So that’s why we spend a lot of money making sure that we’re doing everything we can to protect the integrity of the game.

Do you see on the horizon where an exhibition match or two, three matches, like women’s SA20 getting started some way?

I do. I really do. I’ve said over the last few years, Cricket South Africa started a domestic women’s programme, I think it was two years ago. We’ve invested in the schools and, you know, trying to grow the depth of the women’s game here. You know, I think how it starts, I’m not sure yet. I think that’ll be a bit, you know, the Cricket South Africa CEO has come out and said that it’s time now. So, I think post this tournament, we will all sit down and figure out what that step looks like. But absolutely, it will be one of the major discussions post season four.

BENGALURU: Corporate forensic teams and background verification firms are flagging cases of location spoofing, particularly among hybrid employees and gig workers. In several instances, employees have been pulled up after allegedly misrepresenting their actual work location, with such discrepancies surfacing during random audits, compliance checks, or client reviews.Investigations found that some used travel routers or similar devices to make it appear they were working from their designated base locations while actually operating from elsewhere.An employee at an MNC firm was terminated after being flagged for location spoofing while working remotely, a Reddit post said. The individual said he was with the company for a couple of years and travelled to his home country in South Asia last month due to a family emergency.

To avoid drawing attention, the employee said he used atravel router configured with acloud-based server to make it appear as though he was working from the US. According to the post, the employee was subsequently interviewed by an internal investigator and was terminated for violating the company’s business conduct guidelines by masking his actual work location.Amit Rahane, partner at EY’s forensic and integrity services, said location spoofing is no longer theoretical. “Companies are detecting such cases through compliance audits, security reviews, and client checks rather than active surveillance. Many employees underestimate how much data is captured. Several controls were introduced during Covid to monitor moonlighting — such as IP tracking and login analytics — and these systems remain in place. As a result, location inconsistencies are often detected even without targeted monitoring,” he said.Ashok Hariharan, co-founder and CEO of identity verification platform Idfy, said companies want to verify whether a gig worker went to a specific location — for instance, whether a delivery was genuinely attempted at a customer’s residence. Hariharan said location spoofing can be identified by combining IP and VPN intelligence with GPS based checks. Rahane said most companies avoid active surveillance due to privacy concerns, with detection typically occurring through security audits, compliance checks, or client reviews.

MUMBAI: Even as startups are increasingly rushing to Dalal Street, buoyed by a booming primary market, many of the large, listed companies are trading below their IPO offer price, raising concerns over the long-term value they can generate for investors.Stock prices of close to 10 startups including Swiggy, FirstCry, Paytm, Ola Electric and Delhivery are trading below their offer price, data sourced from the exchanges and Prime Database showed (see graphic) . While market volatility and a broader correction have somewhat had a bearing, a bigger overhang has been the tepid growth of the companies which failed to keep pace with the expectations of the street, said analysts tracking the space.

“The realisation (on part of investors) that performance is not meeting expectations is resulting in disappointment and value correction,” said Nikunj Doshi, of Bay Capital. For many startups, acquisitions have been the way of reporting topline growth but whether they are getting reflected in the bottom line remains to be seen, said Doshi.Since 2021, over 30 startups have debuted on the exchanges, ditching larger private fundraises as regulatory easing and higher valuations in public markets made it smoother for firms to go for an IPO. Following a clutch of billiondollar startup listings floated by players such as Lenskart, Groww and Meesho last year, PhonePe, Zepto, Oyo and Flipkart, among others are gearing up for a debut in 2026.To be fair, most of the recently listed startups are trading above their offer price, but analysts said that the performance of digital companies should be weighed after six months of listing. “These companies are largely funded by VC, PE/HNI investors whose lock in expires after six months of listing and the floodgates of supply open. Some startups saw correction in their prices after six months,” said Doshi. A lock-in expiry is the time when restrictions on selling share ends, allowing shareholders to sell their stakes, increasing supply in secondary market which can be difficult to absorb.Public market valuations for tech-led businesses have meaningfully reset from the peak cycle. For instance, in the case of high-quality SaaS companies, which were earlier trading at mid-teens revenue multiples, current market benchmarks are materially lower, reflecting both multiple compression and a moderation in growth rate versus earlier expectations, said Mehekka Oberoi, fund manager at IIFL Fintech Fund. The next batch of startups may have to list at lower valuations compared to their last private fundings.

KOLKATA: Aftershocks of the showdown between Enforcement Directorate (ED) and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee over raids on Trinamool-linked political consultancy I-PAC jolted Calcutta high court Friday, prompting Justice Suvra Ghosh to postpone hearing petitions filed by either side till Jan 14 on grounds of “enormous disturbance and commotion” in the courtroom.The judge, seemingly annoyed at her repeated pleas for “order” being ignored by lawyers and apprentices seeking to outshout each other, walked out of the courtroom after quickly announcing the forced adjournment.

Justice Ghosh specified in her order that she would have heard both petitions as scheduled had a large gathering of lawyers and others not entered the courtroom and caused a ruckus. “Several requests made by the court to maintain decorum and dignity fell on deaf ears. The environment in the courtroom is not conducive to commence/continue with the hearing,” she said.ED, the first mover in the legal battle over CM Mamata’s alleged interference in the probe against I-PAC, immediately approached acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul for an urgent hearing. The plea was turned down. Acting CJ Paul told the agency’s counsel Dhiraj Trivedi that there was no justification in pushing for an urgent hearing after the judge assigned to take up its petition had fixed a date.The face-off between ED and Mamata started Thursday afternoon after she drove to the Loudon Street home of IPAC director Pratik Jain when the agency was searching the premises for evidence linked to an investigation in a 2020 money laundering case.The CM next went to IPAC’s office in Salt Lake’s Sec-tor V, staying put for almost four hours and allegedly taking away sheaves of documents and storage devices that she claimed contained Trinamool Congress’s election strategy. Besides Mamata, ED’s petition accuses DGP Rajeev Kumar and Kolkata police commissioner Manoj Varma of “theft of digital devices and other evidence, and wrongful restraint and confinement of central govt officers”.Mamata’s petition against ED alleges the central agency was doing BJP’s bidding and targeting I-PAC addresses to “snatch” Trinamool-specific and other data pertaining to the upcoming assembly elections. Friday’s hearing was scheduled for 2.30pm, but the crowd in court No. 5 started to swell after the lunch break ended at 2pm.ED counsel Trivedi and Trinamool’s Kalyan Banerjee complained they were finding it impossible to reach the bench to argue their cases. “Anyone not associated with the case, please leave,” Justice Ghosh pleaded. After 15 minutes of chaos, HC officials and a Kolkata Police officer posted outside the courtroom managed to clear a section of the crowd, but the commotion refused to die down. “I cannot hear anything,” Justice Ghosh declared, leading to the adjournment.

India’s T20 plans have taken a small hit just before the final ICC T20 World Cup 2026 preparations, and Aakash Chopra feels the answer is very simple. With Tilak Varma ruled out of the start of the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand because of an abdominal injury, Chopra said that the Men in Blue already have an “automatic” replacement available.

Tilak Varma injury opens door as Aakash Chopra pushes Shreyas Iyer’s T20I return

The cricket pandit believes that India should bring Shreyas Iyer straight back into the T20I squad without any second thought for the upcoming T20I series against the Black Caps. Tilak’s injury has created a gap in the middle order at a time when the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 is close.

Given that Chopra feels this is not the time to experiment or shuffle the batting order, saying the team already has enough openers and does not need to push anyone new at the top, and Shreyas Iyer fits perfectly into the middle-order role.

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The former Indian batter further pointed out that Iyer is experienced, understands pressure situations, and is already in good form. Notably, Iyer has already played 51 T20Is for India and scored over 1100 runs, apart from establishing himself as one of the best batters in the IPL.

He fits the bill, and Shreyas Iyer gets my vote: Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra said in a video posted on X: “Who can it be? Shreyas Iyer. ‘Sarpanch’ Sahab should be picked automatically. He is already playing well and scored in the Vijay Hazare Trophy too. Even when Iyer was not picked in the Asia Cup, it felt slightly unfair, but it was understandable. But there is an opportunity for a middle-order role here. He is also an experienced player and set the IPL on fire. He fits the bill, and Shreyas Iyer gets my vote.”

Chopra also pointed out that players like Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Ruturaj Gaikwad are all openers, and that is not what the team needs right now. India needs someone who can settle the innings, control the middle overs, and finish strong, and Chopra feels Iyer is the best choice.

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Chopra Makes Strong Case for Iyer’s Return

The commentator further explained, “India does not need an opener; they need a middle-order batter.” However, he admitted that there are other options available for the middle-order role, like Riyan Parag and Jitesh Sharma, but yet he will go with Iyer.

Chopra signed off by saying, “Riyan Parag could also be one candidate. He was part of the T20I side before and can also bowl. If India is looking for a multi-skilled player, Parag could be that guy. But my vote is for Shreyas Iyer. I would place Parag at No. 2. Jitesh Sharma might have an outside chance, though India does not need three wicketkeepers.”

Notably, the BCCI confirmed that Tilak Varma had surgery for his abdominal issue in Rajkot on January 7. He was discharged the next day, and his condition is stable. The star batter will travel back to Hyderabad on Friday (January 9).

KOLKATA: Aftershocks of the showdown between Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee over raids on Trinamool-linked political consultancy I-PAC jolted Calcutta high court Friday, prompting Justice Suvra Ghosh to postpone hearing petitions filed by either side till Jan 14 on grounds of “enormous disturbance and commotion” in the courtroom.The judge, seemingly annoyed at her repeated pleas for “order” being ignored by lawyers and apprentices seeking to outshout each other, walked out of the courtroom after quickly announcing the forced adjournment.

Justice Ghosh specified in her order that she would have heard both petitions as scheduled had a large gathering of lawyers and others not entered the courtroom and caused a ruckus. “Several requests made by the court to maintain decorum and dignity fell on deaf ears. The environment in the courtroom is not conducive to commence/continue with the hearing,” she said.‘I cannot hear anything’: Judge said, leading to adjournmentEnforcement Directorate, the first mover in the legal battle over Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s alleged interference in the probe against I-PAC, immediately approached acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul for an urgent hearing. The plea was turned down. Acting CJ Paul told the agency’s counsel Dhiraj Trivedi that there was no justification in pushing for an urgent hearing after the judge assigned to take up its petition had fixed a date.The face-off between ED and Mamata started Thursday afternoon after she drove to the Loudon Street residence of I-PAC director Pratik Jain when the agency was searching the premises for evidence linked to an investigation in a 2020 money laundering case. The CM next went to I-PAC’s office in Salt Lake’s Sector V, staying put for almost four hours and allegedly taking away sheaves of documents and storage devices that she claimed contained TMC’s election strategy.Besides Mamata, ED’s petition accuses DGP Rajeev Kumar and Kolkata Police commissioner Manoj Varma of “theft of digital devices and other evidence, and wrongful restraint and confinement of central govt officers”. Mamata’s petition against ED alleges that the central agency was doing BJP’s bidding and targeting I-PAC addresses to “snatch” Trinamool-specific and other data pertaining to the upcoming assembly elections.Friday’s hearing was scheduled for 2.30pm, but the crowd in court no. 5 started to swell after the lunch break ended at 2pm. ED counsel Trivedi and Trinamool’s Kalyan Banerjee complained that they were finding it impossible to reach the bench to argue their cases. “Anyone not associated with the case, please leave,” Justice Ghosh pleaded.After 15 minutes of chaos, HC officials and a Kolkata Police officer posted outside the courtroom managed to clear a section of the crowd, but the commotion refused to die down. “I cannot hear anything,” Justice Ghosh declared, leading to the adjournment.