Khoza set to announce DStv as new PSL sponsors

PSL chairman Dr Irvin Khoza is set to announce the league's new sponsor on Thursday evening. 

The league confirmed the details of the press conference in a statement but didn't disclose the purpose of the briefing. 

However, Goal has it on good authority that Khoza will be announcing the new sponsor that will be taking over from Absa, who opted to not renew their partnership with the league following the expiry of the contract at the end of the 2019-20 season.   

Absa had been the PSL's premier sponsor since 2007 - pumping in millions of Rands in an attempt to make the South African league one of the biggest across the globe. 

And its decision to withdraw from the partnership with the PSL came as a shock, especially after increasing the winner's prize money from R10 million to R15 million for the 2019-20 season. 

The ultimate prize money went to Mamelodi Sundowns, who beat Kaizer Chiefs to the league title on the final day of the campaign. 

According to Goal sources, DStv leads the race for the lucrative deal and could be the ones taking over the sponsorship deal come Thursday. 

DStv is own by MultiChoice, a television company which is already in partnership with the PSL to sponsor the reserve league, known as the MultiChoice Diski Challenge. 

Apart from the partnership, the company also has an existing deal with the PSL as they own the rights to broadcast local matches.

DStv is not the only company that has been linked with taking over from Absa. 

Companies such as Betway, Bidvest and Telkom were also reported to be keen on sponsoring the league in recent months. 

Meanwhile, the PSL is expected to announce plans for the start of the new season in the same press conference, including whether or not the new campaign will be played in a bio-bubble, as well as the fixture list. 

As things stand, the 2020-21 campaign is pencilled in to get underway on the weekend of October 8-9, 2020.