SA20 2027 starts January 17, final in Cape Town on February 21
Boland Park in Paarl gets a playoff match (Qualifier 1) for the first time
Season five of the SA20, South Africa's franchise T20 competition, will begin on January 17, 2027 in Gqeberha and end with the final on February 21 in Cape Town. The season opener at St George's Park will be a rematch of the 2026 season's final between defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) and runner-ups Pretoria Capitals (PC).
Boland Park, home of the Paarl Royals (PR), will host Qualifier 1 (Feb 16), the venue's maiden SA20 playoff game. The Eliminator (Feb 17) and Qualifier 2 (Feb 19) will be hosted by the Wanderers, home to the Joburg Super Kings (JSK), and the final will be played Newlands in Cape Town, where MI Cape Town (MICT) play their home games.
"The Paarl fans have been some of the most passionate supporters of the league," league commissioner Graeme Smith said in a statement, "so I'm excited that we are finally able to give them a playoff in the form of Q1."
The schedule, released on Thursday, means that the tournament starts just two days after the conclusion of South Africa's three-match ODI series at home against England that is currently scheduled from January 10 to 15. The six-team tournament will also feature four double-header Saturdays in the league stage.
SEC are the tournament's most successful team, winning three titles in 2023, 2024, 2026 and reaching the final in 2025, when MICT were champions. PC (2023, 2026) have made two finals while Durban's Super Giants (DSG) have made the playoffs only once, during their stellar run in 2024. JSK and PR are yet to make the finals.