The Warriors, Boland, Lions and Cobras will play for the first YesPlay Pro20 Cup title at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday. The winning team will take home R1 million in prize money.
Both semi-finals and the final will be played at the same ground on the same day. This is the first time the competition has used this format, as this is its first season.
“It has been a special journey over the past six weeks, with plenty of memorable moments and exciting cricket,” said David Mokopanele, Cricket South Africa’s executive for domestic cricket.
The Warriors face Boland in the first semi-final at 9.30am. The Lions then take on the Cobras at 2pm.
The two winning sides will meet again in the final at 6.30pm. The first champion’s name will then go onto the new trophy.
Ahead of finals day, Tristan Stubbs of the Warriors posed with the trophy at Newlands. He was joined by Glenton Stuurman of Boland, Bjorn Fortuin of the Lions and George Linde of the Cobras.
The competition ran for six weeks. According to IOL, it was meant to bring fresh life to the professional game and give young players a place to show their skills.
Mokopanele thanked the sponsor for its support. “This partnership has come at the right time for domestic cricket, bringing renewed energy into our pathway,” he said.
He said one of the best results was taking top-level cricket into communities. Division 2 teams also got the chance to play against Division 1 sides.
Mokopanele said those games helped CSA see where more development work was needed.
“At CSA, we remain committed to strengthening our domestic pathway and creating more opportunities for emerging players to transition into the professional game,” he said.
YesPlay chief executive Tebogo Makamo said the tournament gave the company a way to connect with cricket fans across South Africa.
“From the quality of cricket on display to the opportunity to bring the action into communities across the country, the competition has demonstrated the value of investing in the domestic pathway,” Makamo said.
Makamo thanked Cricket South Africa, the players, the affiliates and the supporters who took part in the first season.
He said the company wanted to build on the competition in the seasons ahead. The final at Newlands starts at 6.30pm on Saturday.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Sport. Image: IOL Sport. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Sports desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Tiyani Mathebula writes about sport for Tzaneen Voice. Tiyani covers Bafana Bafana, the Springboks, the Proteas and the PSL, along with athletics, tennis and local club sport. Match reports and previews focus on results, team news, fixtures and what each game means for South African teams and fans.