A big name from the tech world will appear for the first time on shirts when the Joburg Super Kings kicks off Season 2 of the SA20 tournament on 10 January 2024. The Kings are the South African professional T20 franchise cricket team based in Johannesburg, and will now be sponsored by online payment platform Peach Payments.
In a move he describes as a hat trick, Peach Payments CEO and co-founder Rahul Jain says the sponsorship is the third in a series of 2023 wins that started with the company concluding a US$31-m series a funding round, and enjoying an outstanding Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Jain says the remarkable success of last year’s SA20 competition, the calibre of the Super Kings franchise and being associated with the team based in the heart of Africa’s commercial sector made this sponsorship opportunity too exciting to turn down.
The team was formed in 2022, and Peach Payments is looking forward to hosting cricket-mad fans at the team’s home ground, Wanderers, while exposing the rest of South Africa to its brand through physical and digital activations, Jain says.
Peach Payments CEO and co-founder Rahul
“Although we are the second largest online payment platform in South Africa, the average consumer has not been aware that they are interacting with our brand when they order their favourite food delivery services, book a getaway adventure or even support their neighbour’s side-hustle e-commerce store. This sponsorship gives us a chance to close that gap.”
Ankit Baldi, head franchisee of Joburg Super Kings says: “We believe that support from local brands is key to the growth of this league and hence development of the sport in the country. We hope to work closely with the brand to help them leverage Joburg Super Kings as a platform to drive their marketing and business goals, while also taking our brand and the sport closer to the people that engage with their product.”
The team is coached by Stephen Fleming and captained by Faf du Plessis. Season 2 of SA20 is set to begin on 10 January 2024 between the defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Joburg Super Kings in Gqeberha. Tickets for Season 2 of the SA20 league, which runs until 10 February 2024, are available at all six teams’ stadiums and on the League website.