"Join the fun of SA20.." AB de Villiers wishes BCCI softens its stance on overseas league participation of Indian players

AB de Villiers hopes to see Indian players be part of the SA20 in the coming years.

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has urged the BCCI to relax their stance on the participation of Indian players in the overseas leagues, and asked them to enjoy the SA20 competition.

In the upcoming SA20 2025 season, Dinesh Karthik is set to become the first Indian cricketer to play in the SA20. That is, however, only possible because Karthik has retired from international cricket and all forms of Indian cricket under the BCCI’s purview.

For the unversed, the BCCI allows only the retired players to play in overseas leagues and the Legends Leagues in India.

Former India players Ambati Rayudu, Robin Uthappa, Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, and Yuvraj Singh have played in leagues outside India after their retirement from international cricket, IPL, and domestic cricket.

We can just keep growing with regards to the overseas players: AB de Villiers

De Villiers, who is an SA20 ambassador, has expressed his desire to see more Indian players in the SA20, which would boost the market value of the competition.

“I would love to see more Indian players involved. We know Dinesh Karthik will be here this year which is fantastic and it’s great for the tournament. And hopefully the BCCI will allow us to get more Indian players in the future to come and join the fun of the SA20,” de Villiers was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

The South African gave the example of the IPL’s success on the back of major overseas stars.

“We can just keep growing with regards to the overseas players. That’s a large part of the success of the IPL over the years and I’ve followed the IPL since 2008. It’s every year the overseas contingents seem to get stronger and stronger.

“You get the best players in the world and the best players in India and that combination makes for great cricket. So I think for Graeme Smith and his team moving forward it’s just to keep pushing hard, as hard as they can ,” the former Protea skipper added.

The SA20 2025 season will get underway on January 9.

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