The owners of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise, Lahore Qalandars, have changed their plans of buying a team in the new South African T20 League due to scheduling conflicts.
According to details, Lahore Qalandars had previously shown interest in buying a franchise in the South African T20 League but they have now lost interest as the tournament is scheduled to be held close to the start of the eighth edition of the PSL. The scheduling conflict will not give them enough time to prepare for Pakistan’s premier T20 tournament.
Initially, the South African T20 tournament was slated to begin in 2017 with Lahore Qalandars, Peshawar Zalmi, and Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders, all buying teams in the ‘Global T20 League’. The plans for the tournament were scrapped due to a number of reasons.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) recently announced the introduction of their new franchise T20 tournament and stated that the details of the teams will be revealed by the end of the month. The first edition of the franchise T20 tournament is set to be played in January 2023.
It is pertinent to mention that CSA decided to back out of their ODI series against Australia in January 2023 due to the start of the new T20 tournament. They forfeited 3 matches in the ICC ODI World Cup Super League, resulting in the loss of 30 points. This may have a drastic impact on their hopes of directly qualifying for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.