SA 20 is the latest T20 tournament in the list of leagues booming around the world. The tournament has been modelled on the Indian Premier League and all the six franchises participating in the Protean league are owned by the IPL teams itself.
Some of the finest players in the world are participating in the competition and when the league's commissioner Graeme Smith was asked if there is any way Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni could be a part of the tournament, he said that he would definitely ask the Indian cricket legend whenever an opportunity like that is up for grabs.
Someone like an MS Dhoni would certainly add a lot of value to our league: Smith
"It would be amazing to have a player like him. But as I have previously said, we always work with and respect the BCCI. The fact that we have created such a nice working relationship with them and have been able to talk to them and learn from them. I mean, they are hugely experienced in doing such events like the IPL or the World Cup. And it is a very important relationship to have for the SAT20. From our perspective, we looked at it, we have one or two opportunities," he said during an interaction with the press.
Notably, as per the current rules, players associated with the Indian Cricket Board cannot participate in T20 Leagues overseas. Hence, Dhoni can't play in any league played outside India till the time he continues to play in the IPL.
"I think one thing that we really wanted to build was a vibrant, young, up and coming, really competitive cricket League you know. So someone like an MSD would certainly add a lot of value to our league, you know, he's been able to perform and maintain performance for a very long time and extremely professional, bring a level to the league that we would be proud to have. So, you know, if there was ever an opportunity, certainly would be reaching out to Mahi," he added.