Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Former South African batter Herschelle Gibbs has made a bold remark about Australia’s Big Bash League and his own country’s SA20. Notably, BBL and SA20 are currently in progress. A comment on social media from a Proteas legend has sparked a fierce debate over comparing the SA20 with the BBL.
Herschelle Gibbs sparks BBL vs SA20 debate and praises ‘quality’ of Big Bash
It all started when a fan on
Gibbs entered the fray with a decisive catch but ended up disappointing the South African fans. The Proteas legend strongly backed the Big Bash League as the best T20 league in the world.
Read also: Tabraiz Shamsi wins case against CSA, cleared for ILT20 and BBL after NOC battle
The former South African batting star pointed out that the BBL still offers the best fight between bat and ball, making it much more attractive than the SA20 league.
What did Herschelle Gibbs actually say?
The former Proteas star highlighted Australia’s fast-paced pitches, extra bounce and big boundaries, explaining that these factors force batters and bowlers to work harder and make the competition much more balanced and challenging.
Gibbs responded to this fan saying, “BBL is still the best when it comes to bat and ball competitions. Pace, bounce and big boundaries 👌”
Bbl is always the best when it comes to bat and ball competition. Rhythm, bounce and big limits 👌 https://t.co/befHGtD3vW
– Herschelle Gibbs (@hershybru) December 28, 2025
Well, his comments immediately raised many eyebrows on social media as he indirectly placed the SA20 in a lower bracket despite the fact that South Africa’s premier T20 contender was rapidly growing in popularity and value.
Gibbs’ final verdict
As the conversation intensified, another fan accused Indian fans of making noise about SA20 only because the IPL owners own all six teams. The debate began to shift away from cricket and towards ownership and nationality, but Gibbs made his position strongly clear.
He made it clear that he doesn’t judge leagues based on ownership, marketing or hype. Instead, the former Proteas batter emphasized that his view was purely from a cricketing perspective, focusing on balance, conditions and competition rather than commercial success or popularity.
Read also: Melbourne Renegades play XI against Hobart Hurricanes – BBL 2025-26, Match 15
Gibbs said: “You get the league as a product, and you get the cricket side through the balance between bat and ball. I’m just talking about the cricket side.”
You get the league as a product and you get the cricket side through the balance between bat and ball. I’m just talking about the cricket side
– Herschelle Gibbs (@hershybru) December 28, 2025
BBL vs SA20
SA20 has outperformed BBL in many ways as it offers more money and has stronger support. All six teams belong to IPL franchises, so they benefit from better planning, bigger budgets and higher player payments.
The league has a salary cap of over US$2.3 million and a prize pool of around INR 15.4 crore, which has helped attract big international names like Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali.
On the other hand, the Big Bash League has a much smaller prize pool of around INR 3.7 crore, and the tournament often conflicts with the Australian Test cricket schedule. For this reason, many great Australian players are not always available for the BBL.
To remain competitive, the Big Bash League and Cricket Australia are now considering privatizing their teams so they can build a stronger financial system and attract top players.
