Live cricket is set to return to South Africa's sports screens after Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Wednesday launched the the inaugural Solidarity Cup.

In a first of its kind, 3TCricket will see three teams play in a single match at SuperSport Park in Centurion on 27 June.

Presented by RAIN, the Solidarity Cup will be the showcase event for the brand-new cricket format which sees 24 of South Africa's top cricketers in three teams, playing two halves in one match.

The three teams competing in the Solidarity Cup are the Eagles captained by AB de Villiers, the Kingfishers captained by Kagiso Rabada and the Kites captained by Quinton de Kock.

SuperSport is the official broadcast partner of the Solidarity Cup and the match will be the first live sport in South Africa since the Covid-19 lockdown was announced in March.

"It's been quite some time since the South African public and fans of cricket worldwide have been able to consume the game we all love. I know that the players are itching to get back into action as well, which is why we as CSA are so excited about the Solidarity Cup. It's a thrilling new format and a match that is working towards a greater good. We are proud to partner with 3TeamCricket on this project," CSA's director of Graeme Smith commented via a press statement.

Eagles skipper De Villiers believes that 3TCricket will be an incredible spectacle for the fans starved of cricket action.

"It's a great idea and credit must go to Cricket South Africa and Rain for working to develop this new and innovative style of cricket. There are very few team sports in the world where you get to play more than one opponent in a single fixture, this is going to be a game changer. We have some very talented cricketers involved who are really excited to return to play with a bang.”

Kites captain De Kock relayed his excitement at the prospect of beating two teams at once in the 3TCricket model.

"I'm really excited to be captaining the Kites, we have a great team and I think we can claim the gold. I'm even more excited about the new format, it's going to be a lot of fun playing to beat KG and AB on the same day", De Kock said.

Kingfishers captain Rabada will make his much-anticipated return to cricket in the event after being ruled out with a groin injury since late February.

"It’s been a long wait to get back into action and I’m looking forward to playing again alongside some of the country’s biggest names. We have a good balance of talent and experience in our team and I’m confident that we can walk away with the inaugural Solidarity Cup,” he commented.

Matches will be broadcast on SuperSport 2.