'Excited to be part of SA 20,' says Odean Smith

Smith will look to make an instant impact [PC: Twitter]

West Indies players draw big money across franchise-based leagues around the globe, be it T10 or T20. The upcoming pool for SA 20 League, organised by Cricket South Africa (CSA), witnesses the same, with as many as six Windies players named on the list of marquee players.

All-rounder Odean Smith enters the SA 20 draft with a highest-set base price of USD 101,000, alongside fellow countryman Jayden Seales. Other Caribbean players in the draft include Keemo Paul, Alzzari Joseph, Carlos Brathwaite, and Shamarh Brooks.

Smith who made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut for Punjab Kings earlier this year, called this opportunity to play in South Africa a good experience. The destructive batter in the lower-order underperformed in the IPL, scoring just 51 wickets and picking up six wickets.

“I’m excited to be a part of the CSA T20 League. I have heard good things about South Africa and it’s going to be my first time there. The tournament is new so I’m not sure what to expect, but it will be a good learning experience,”

SA 20 Updates

The six-team tournament will commence on January 23, post-South Africa's tour of Australia. The draft will take place on September 19, with all teams having a purse of USD 2 million.

Each team will consist of 17 members in their squad - 10 domestic and seven foreign players.

All six franchises — MI Cape Town, Johannesburg Super Kings, Paarl Royals, Pretoria Capitals and Sunrisers Eastern Cape and the Durban Franchise — are owned by IPL team owners. Ahead of the draft several sides have announced signing of local and foreign players. 

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