The former South African batter Herschelle Gibbs has made a bold remark on Australia’s Big Bash League and his own country’s SA20. Notably, both BBL and SA20 are currently underway. A social media comment from a Proteas legend has ignited a fierce debate over SA20’s comparison with BBL.
Herschelle Gibbs Sparks BBL vs SA20 Debate, Praises Big Bash “Quality”
It all started when a fan on X (formerly Twitter) claimed that the Big Bash League was no longer the second-best T20 league in the world and that SA20 had clearly overtaken it.
Gibbs jumped into the fray with a decisive take but ended up disappointing the South African fans. The Proteas legend strongly backed the Big Bash League as the best T20 league in the world.
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The former South African batting star has pointed out that BBL still offers the best contest between bat and ball, making it far more enticing than the SA20 league.
What Did Herschelle Gibbs Actually Say?
The former Proteas star highlighted Australia’s pace-friendly pitches, extra bounce, and big boundaries, explaining that these factors force batters and bowlers to work harder and make the competition far more balanced and challenging.
Gibbs replied to that fan by saying, “BBL is still best when it comes to contests between bat and ball. Pace and bounce and big boundaries 👌”
Bbl still best when it comes to contest between bat and ball. Pace and bounce and big boundaries 👌 https://t.co/befHGtD3vW
— Herschelle Gibbs (@hershybru) December 28, 2025
Well, his comments instantly raised many eyebrows on social media, as he was indirectly putting SA20 in a lower bracket despite South Africa’s own premier T20 competition having rapidly grown in popularity and value.
Gibbs’ Final Verdict
As the conversation heated up, another fan accused Indian supporters of hyping SA20 only because the IPL owners have the ownership of all six teams. The debate started drifting away from cricket and into ownership and nationality, but Gibbs strongly clarified his stance.
He made it clear that he was not judging leagues based on owners, marketing, or hype. Instead, the former Proteas batter stressed that his view was purely from a cricketing angle, focusing on balance, conditions, and competition rather than business success or popularity.
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Gibbs stated, “You get the league as a product, and you get the cricketing side from the balance between bat and ball. I’m merely talking from the cricketing side.”
You get the league as a product and you get the cricketing side from balance between bat and ball. Im merely talking from the cricketing side
— Herschelle Gibbs (@hershybru) December 28, 2025
BBL vs SA20
SA20 has surpassed BBL in many ways because it offers more money and has stronger backing. All six teams are owned by IPL franchises, so they have better planning, bigger budgets, and higher player payments.
The league has a salary cap of over 2.3 million US dollars and a prize pool of around INR 15.4 crore, which has helped attract big international names like Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali.
On the other hand, the Big Bash League has a much smaller prize pool of about INR 3.7 crore, and the tournament often clashes with Australia’s Test cricket schedule. Because of this, many top Australian players are not always available for the BBL.
To stay competitive, the Big Bash League and Cricket Australia are now thinking about privatizing teams so it can build a stronger financial system and pull in top-level players.
