The South African T20 league, SA20, will make its return for a fourth season. For the first time ever, the tournament will be staged in December rather than the traditional January-February slot. The season will open on December 26, 2025, and run through to January 25, 2026. The first game will be defending champions MI Cape Town taking on Durban's Super Giants at Newlands, Cape Town. This adjustment in the schedule has been done to provide players with sufficient rest prior to the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, scheduled for February. The switch to the new tournament window was confirmed by SA20 League Commissioner Graeme Smith, who further stated that the league will move back to its initial January window from 2027. SA20 Shifts to December to Align with Global Cricket Schedule The choice of hosting the tournament during the festive period is anticipated to attract more spectators into stadiums. The season commences on Boxing Day, a public holiday in South Africa, which is likely to attract large numbers of people. Double-header matches have also been planned on weekends and holidays to maximize attendance and viewership. League Commissioner, Graeme Smith said: “Announcing the fixtures is always a major milestone for us and signals that we are well on our way to another incredible season. Season 4 of the SA20 will be unique. We have carefully planned the fixtures to make the most of the festive season and school holidays. We want SA20 to be a part of the holiday season festivities in our once-off window for this year. We’re also excited to host New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day fixtures for the first time, we can’t wait to be a part of the New Year’s celebrations with the fans." Taking about the reception SA20 has received in India, Smith explained: “It’s been phenomenal to witness how SA20 has struck a chord with fans in a vibrant cricket market like India. What’s truly heart-warming is seeing Indian fans follow emerging SA20 talents like Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Wiaan Mulder, and many others who’ve honed their skills in the competition. India remains a key market for SA20, and we’d love to see more fans travel to South Africa for the matches. They certainly won’t be disappointed.” He added: “The franchises are hard at work behind the scenes strategizing around their squads which will be confirmed at the auction on September 9. It’s all systems go to welcome the best international and local players to our stage.” Another thrilling inclusion is that SA20 Season 4 champions will be eligible for the Champions League T20-model event forthcoming in 2026, also referred to as the World Club Championship. The competition will comprise six leading teams from international T20 leagues and is supported by both the BCCI and ECB. Also Read | Yash Dayal Denies Allegations, Accuses Woman of Stealing and Lying Full Festive Schedule and New Year Matches for SA20 Season 4 The second tournament match will take place on December 27, with Pretoria Capitals against Joburg Super Kings at Centurion, and Sunrisers Eastern Cape against Paarl Royals at Boland Park in Paarl. Super Giants from Durban will welcome MI Cape Town again on December 28, then play Joburg Super Kings on December 30 at Kingsmead. They will usher in New Year's Eve and New Year's Day with cricket as well. December 31 will see two major games, Sunrisers Eastern Cape vs Paarl Royals at St. George's Park and MI Cape Town vs Pretoria Capitals at Newlands. Joburg Super Kings and Durban's Super Giants will play at the Wanderers on January 1. On January 2, Boland Park stages a highly anticipated Cape derby between Paarl Royals and MI Cape Town, who both had unblemished home records in the previous season. The action shifts to the Highveld on January 3 for a "Super Saturday," with Joburg Super Kings taking on Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Pretoria Capitals playing Durban's Super Giants. The playoff games will start from Qualifier 1 on January 21, then the Eliminator on January 22 and Qualifier 2 on January 23. The SA20 Season 4 Final match will be held on January 25 and the venues for the major games will be declared later. SA20 is also gaining popularity among fans in South Africa and India, with young players becoming popular in both countries. According to Smith, it is heart-warming to note Indian fans following young SA20 stars and wishes that more fans make their way to South Africa to watch the games live. Also Read | Watch: Riley Meredith Splits Stump in Half During T20 Blast 2025 Complete Schedule of SA20 Season 4 Match No. Date Time (IST) Fixture Venue 1 26-Dec-2025 9:00 PM MI Cape Town vs Durban's Super Giants Newlands 2 27-Dec-2025 4:30 PM Pretoria Capitals vs Joburg Super Kings Centurion 3 27-Dec-2025 9:00 PM Paarl Royals vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape Boland Park 4 28-Dec-2025 7:00 PM Durban's Super Giants vs MI Cape Town Kingsmead 5 29-Dec-2025 9:00 PM Sunrisers Eastern Cape vs Pretoria Capitals St. George's Park 6 30-Dec-2025 9:00 PM Durban's Super Giants vs Joburg Super Kings Kingsmead 7 31-Dec-2025 4:30 PM Sunrisers Eastern Cape vs Paarl Royals St. George's Park 8 31-Dec-2025 9:00 PM MI Cape Town vs Pretoria Capitals Newlands 9 01-Jan-2026 9:00 PM Joburg Super Kings vs Durban's Super Giants Wanderers 10 02-Jan-2026 9:00 PM Paarl Royals vs MI Cape Town Boland Park 11 03-Jan-2026 4:30 PM Joburg Super Kings vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape Wanderers 12 03-Jan-2026 9:00 PM Pretoria Capitals vs Durban's Super Giants Centurion 13 04-Jan-2026 7:00 PM MI Cape Town vs Paarl Royals Newlands 14 05-Jan-2026 9:00 PM Pretoria Capitals vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape Centurion 15 06-Jan-2026 9:00 PM MI Cape Town vs Joburg Super Kings Newlands 16 07-Jan-2026 9:00 PM Durban's Super Giants vs Pretoria Capitals Kingsmead 17 08-Jan-2026 9:00 PM Joburg Super Kings vs Paarl Royals Wanderers 18 09-Jan-2026 9:00 PM Durban's Super Giants vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape Kingsmead 19 10-Jan-2026 4:30 PM Paarl Royals vs Pretoria Capitals Boland Park 20 10-Jan-2026 9:00 PM Joburg Super Kings vs MI Cape Town Wanderers 21 11-Jan-2026 7:00 PM Sunrisers Eastern Cape vs Durban's Super Giants St. George's Park 22 12-Jan-2026 9:00 PM Pretoria Capitals vs MI Cape Town Centurion 23 13-Jan-2026 9:00 PM Paarl Royals vs Durban's Super Giants Boland Park 24 14-Jan-2026 9:00 PM Sunrisers Eastern Cape vs Joburg Super Kings St. George's Park 25 15-Jan-2026 9:00 PM Pretoria Capitals vs Paarl Royals Centurion 26 16-Jan-2026 9:00 PM MI Cape Town vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape Newlands 27 17-Jan-2026 4:30 PM Durban's Super Giants vs Paarl Royals Kingsmead 28 17-Jan-2026 9:00 PM Joburg Super Kings vs Pretoria Capitals Wanderers 29 18-Jan-2026 7:00 PM Sunrisers Eastern Cape vs MI Cape Town St. George's Park 30 19-Jan-2026 9:00 PM Paarl Royals vs Joburg Super Kings Boland Park 31 21-Jan-2026 9:00 PM Qualifier 1 TBC 32 22-Jan-2026 9:00 PM Eliminator TBC 33 23-Jan-2026 9:00 PM Qualifier 2 TBC 34 25-Jan-2026 7:00 PM Final TBC