This is said to come into effect as from May 2020.

According to the sport’s governing body, this will be mostly a cost saving exercise. The CSA CEO Thabang Moroe confirmed that over the past four-years the body’s losses were to the tune of R350 million.

Furthermore, the CSA T20 Challenge, which started over the weekend will be falling away as the Mzansi Super League (MSL T20) will become the country’s flagship T20 tournament.

Moroe says that the franchise system has been a financial burden on domestic cricket.

"We have a three-phased process where we will see Cricket South Africa go back to 12 provinces and we plan in the third year to either have Limpopo, Mpumalanga - or both,  become part of the first-class structure, which will take us to the 14-member competition.

"Franchise cricket has been a huge burden to CSA's coffers.

"We are pinning most of our work and commercial strategy on the Mzansi Super League to be the program that is actually going to fund domestic cricket."

CSA still needs to consult the franchises, as well as the South African Cricketers Association before anything can be finalised.

The current franchise system accommodates the VKB Knights, Highveld Lions, Titans, Cape Cobras, Titans and Warriors.

@MorganPiek OFM Sport