New Delhi, Nov 19 (IANS) Graeme Smith, the former South Africa captain currently serving as SA20 League commissioner, has hailed the growth of Indian Premier League (IPL), saying that the ten-team tournament is now one of the biggest leagues in the world across all sports.

In 29 IPL games, Smith amassed 739 runs, including hitting four fifties. Apart from turning out for Pune Warriors in the 2011 season, Smith played for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) under the legendary Shane Warne during the first three seasons of the IPL, including winning the trophy in the inaugural season in 2008.

“I think a lot of people forget the early years of the IPL. There were many things that had to go well for the league to grow the way it did. The IPL is now one of the biggest leagues in the world across all sports. In our first three seasons, we have seen strong growth in many areas at SA20 and hopefully that will continue,” said Smith during the SA20 India Day event.

He further underlined the importance of strengthening the league and nurturing a strong local player base, drawing parallels of SA20 with the early years of the IPL. “The most important thing at the core of everything is always the cricket product. Every year the cricket gets stronger and the local player base keeps growing. That has also been the strength of the IPL.”

“When I think back to 2008, the first season of the IPL when I played for Rajasthan Royals, and then look at how the generation of Indian talent has grown, it shows what a strong local base can do. That is what we want to see at SA20 as well, along with world-class players,” he added.

–IANS

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