Mzansi Super League called off again due to Covid fears

The Mzansi Super League (MSL) competition has been cancelled for the second year in a row, with organisers and sponsors expressing their concern over the uncertainty of the Covid pandemic.

“Despite the tournament having secured an official backer (sponsor), Cricket South Africa can confirm that the MSL scheduled for February 2022 has been called off,” CSA said in a statement on Monday.

“This is owing to the Covid-19 environment which has made it difficult to maintain the brand proposition of being the premium international T20 tournament, due to increased travel restrictions as imposed by many nations on South Africa since the discovery of Omicron variant of the virus.”

Launched a few years ago to drive revenue for CSA and attract fans through the popular T20 format, the MSL was won by Jozi Stars in 2018 and Paarl Rocks in 2019, but it was called off this season due to the lockdown.

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“Restrictions such as stricter travel possibilities, the bio-secure environment frustrations, fear of the new variant, and the weak Rand/US Dollar exchange rate are some of the main reasons why CSA has taken the decision to call off the 2022 version of the MSL,” the federation said.