5 players to watch out for in season 1 of SA20

5 players to watch out for in season 1 of SA20

Plenty of star players will be in action in the first edition of the SA20, and here are five cricketers to watch out for in the first season of competition.

Dewald Brevis – MI Cape Town

Dewald Brevis has been billed as the next big thing in South African cricket, and the teenage sensation was signed up by MI Cape Town at SA20 as their pre-auction pick. Brevis burst onto the scenes at the 2022 U-19 World Cup, finishing the tournament as the leading run-scorer, and has gone on to play in franchise tournaments across the globe in the past year. Brevis impressed with the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, scoring 161 runs at a strike rate of 142, and also starred for the Titans in the CSA T20 Challenge in 2022, where he smashed the fifth-fastest T20 century in just 35 deliveries.

Jos Buttler – Paarl Royals

Rajasthan Royals superstar Jos Buttler was signed by their South African counterparts, Paarl Royals, for the SA20. The English captain will add plenty of firepower to the Royals’ top order with the bat and is coming off a hugely successful 12 months in the shortest format. Buttler scored a whopping 863 runs in IPL 2022 at a strike rate of 149 before leading England to victory at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.

Tristan Stubbs – Sunrisers Eastern Cape

Tristan Stubbs fetched the highest bid at the inaugural SA20 auction, with the Sunrisers Eastern Cape buying the hard-hitting batter for Rand 9.2 million. The 22-year-old debuted for the Proteas in 2022 and has shown glimpses of his prodigious talent with the bat, scoring 173 runs at a strike rate of 164 in 13 T20Is. Stubbs was also picked up by the Mumbai Indians as a replacement player in IPL 2022 and finished as the second-highest run-getter in the 2021/22 CSA T20 challenge, scoring three fifties in seven innings.

Jofra Archer – MI Cape Town

Jofra Archer will make his long-awaited return to the cricket field at SA20. The English pacer hasn’t played international cricket since March 2022 due to an elbow injury but has returned to full fitness in recent months and is even part of England’s squad for their ODI series against South Africa in January. Archer was snapped up by MI Cape Town as their wildcard pick and will add plenty of firepower to their fearsome pace attack that includes Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada, Odean Smith, and Olly Stone.

Faf du Plessis – Joburg Super Kings

Faf du Plessis will captain the Joburg Super Kings in the first season of SA20. Du Plessis is one of the most seasoned T20 players in the international circuit, playing a key role in multiple IPL-winning sides for the Chennai Super Kings and also leading the Royal Challengers Bangalore to third place in IPL 2022. Recently, Du Plessis had a mixed 2022/23 BBL season in Australia for the Perth Scorchers, scoring just one half-century in seven innings, but will look to reverse that form for the Joburg Super Kings in SA20.