All you need to know about SA20 2024

There’s no real break in this franchise cricketing world; you finish watching a league, and there’s another one around the corner. Here, three leagues are going on parallelly, clashing with each other - the Big Bash League (BBL), the SA20 and the International League T20 (ILT20). 

But what makes SA20 stand out, and what can we expect from the second edition of the competition? 

When’s the second season of SA20 starting? 

The second edition of the SA20 starts on January 10 (Wednesday), and it will be the second semi-finalist of the previous edition - Joburg Super Kings taking on the eventual winners Sunrisers Eastern Cape at St George's Park. 

Quickly, remind me what happened last year! 

South Africa’s brain-child T20 league - SA20 - only took off in 2023. In the first season, it was SEC that were victorious with a win over Pretoria Capitals in the final after braving one of the pre-season favourites, JSK, in the semi-final. 

On the other hand, the Capitals beat Paarl Royals in the other semi-final. If you were wondering, MI Cape Town finished at the bottom of the table despite a team filled with superstars. 

Are there any added franchises? 

Nope, SA20 season two will have your same six franchises - Durban's Super Giants, Joburg Super Kings, MI Cape Town, Paarl Royals, Pretoria Capitals and Sunrisers Eastern Cape. But there is a change in the format, this time around, there will not be that semi-final kind of system that was played in the first season. 

Instead, the teams will now follow a third-knock fixture, similar to the Indian Premier League (IPL), which means that the teams finishing in the top two might have an extra go at making it to the final. 

If you were wondering (of course), the final is on February 10 (Saturday) in Cape Town.

I heard that Moeen Ali will play for JSK, that’s true?

You heard it right. Last time, the English all-rounder Moeen Ali had already agreed to a contract with the Sharjah Warriors. Hence, the contract did not allow him to represent the Joburg Super Kings. But this time, the 36-year-old has switched the boat and will be available for the entire SA20 season. 

So, what else happened at the draft? 

A lot! Different franchises have signed several players, and here’s a complete list of the Auction - 

Durban’s Super Giants: Jason Smith, Bryce Parsons (rookie), Nicholas Pooran (wildcard signing)

Joburg Super Kings: Wayne Madsen, Dayyan Galiem, Romario Shepherd, Ronan Hermann (rookie), David Wiese, Imran Tahir (wildcard signing)

MI Cape Town: Chris Benjamin, Nealan van Heerden, Thomas Kaber, Connor Esterhuizen (rookie), Kieron Pollard (wildcard signing)

Paarl Royals: John Turner, Lorcan Tucker, Lhuan-dre Pretorius (rookie), Fabian Allen (wildcard signing)

Pretoria Capitals: Paul Stirling, Kyle Verreyne, Matthew Boast, Daryl Dupavillon, Steve Stolk (rookie), Phil Salt (wildcard signing)

Sunrisers Eastern Cape: Caleb Saleka, Beyers Swanepoel, Andile Simelane (rookie), Craig Overton (wildcard signing) (injured)

Are the captains the same as last year? 

Well, no, there are a few changes from last year. Whilst Aiden Markram (SEC), Faf du Plessis (JSK), and David Miller (PR) continue to be the captains of their respective teams, there are a few changes elsewhere. 

MI Cape Town, who finished last in the tournament's inaugural edition, will have a new skipper in the form of Kieron Pollard, replacing the injured Rashid Khan. All-rounder Keshav Maharaj will lead Durban’s Super Giants, replacing Quinton de Kock, for the league's second edition. 

Okay, now I heard Kieron Pollard, who are the other big names? 

Well, this year, we will see the debut of Nicholas Pooran in the SA20. 

It will also be the first season for the likes of Paul Stirling, Moeen Ali, David Wiese, Imran Tahir, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Zahir Khan, making it an enticing league to watch. 

Any late injury news?

We have received plenty. Nuwan Tushara will replace Jofra Archer in the MI Cape Town setup. Sisanda Magala, who finished the inaugural season with 14 wickets, will not be part of the second season due to an injury. Durban’s Super Giants will be without Kyle Abbott, with Tony de Zorzi replacing him. 

That’s not the only injury in the Sunrisers’ camp, with Craig Overton too likely to be ruled out of the entire competition. They haven’t yet announced who will replace Overton for the upcoming season. 

In other news, the availability of Gerald Coetzee, Temba Bavuma and Rashid Khan are yet to be confirmed.

Tell me the squads then.

Durban’s Super Giants: Keshav Maharaj (c), Quinton de Kock, Kyle Mayers, Naveen-ul-Haq, Reece Topley, Heinrich Klaasen, Dwaine Pretorius, Keemo Paul, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dilshan Madushanka, Kyle Abbott, Junior Dala, JJ Smuts, Prenelan Subrayen, Matthew Breetzke, Wiaan Mulder

New additions: Jason Smith, Bryce Parsons (rookie), Nicholas Pooran (wildcard signing)

Joburg Super Kings: Faf du Plessis (c), Gerald Coetzee, Moeen Ali, Leus Du Plooy, Reeza Hendricks, Lizaad Williams, Nandre Burger, Donovan Ferreira, Aaron Phangiso, Bongumusa Makhanya, Kyle Simmonds

New additions: Wayne Madsen, Dayyan Galiem, Romario Shepherd, Ronan Hermann (rookie), David Wiese, Zahir Khan, Sam Cook, Imran Tahir (wildcard signing)

MI Cape Town: Rashid Khan, Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen, Liam Livingstone, Jofra Archer, Olly Stone, George Linde, Beuran Hendricks, Duan Jansen, Dewald Brevis, Ryan Rickleton, Grant Roelofsen, Delano Potgieter, Tom Banton

New additions: Chris Benjamin, Nealan van Heerden, Thomas Kaber, Connor Esterhuizen (rookie), Kieron Pollard (c) (wildcard signing)

Paarl Royals: David Miller (c), Evan Jones, Wihan Lubbe, Andile Phehlukwayo, Jason Roy, Ferisco Adams, Mitchell van Buuren, Dane Vilas, Jos Buttler, Bjorn Fortuin, Codi Yusuf, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi, Obed McCoy, Tabraiz Shamsi

New additions: John Turner, Lorcan Tucker, Lhuan-dre Pretorius (rookie), Fabian Allen (wildcard signing)

Pretoria Capitals: Will Jacks, Shane Dadswell, Theunis de Bruyn, James Neesham, Senuran Muthusamy, Colin Ingram, Corbin Bosch, Adil Rashid, Anrich Nortje, Eathan Bosch, Wayne Parnell (c), Migael Pretorius, Rilee Rossouw

New additions: Paul Stirling, Kyle Verreyne, Matthew Boast, Daryl Dupavillon, Steve Stolk (rookie), Phil Salt (wildcard signing)

Sunrisers Eastern Cape: Aiden Markram (c), Temba Bavuma, Ottniel Baartman, Tristan Stubbs, Sisanda Magala, Marco Jansen, Adam Rossington, Brydon Carse, Sarel Erwee, Ayabulela Gqamane, Tom Abell, Jordan Hermann, Liam Dawson, Simon Harmer, Dawid Malan

New additions: Caleb Saleka, Beyers Swanepoel, Andile Simelane (rookie), Craig Overton (wildcard signing) (injured)

Please give me some new names to look out for

Watch out for these newbies - Matthew Boast, Andile Simelane, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Chris Benjamin, Ronan Hermann, and Bryce Parsons. 

Okay, any different venues? 

Nah, that remains the only constant apart from the teams between the two editions. 

The six venues are Kingsmead Cricket Ground (Durban), Wanderers Stadium (Johannesburg), Newlands Cricket Ground (Cape Town), Boland Park (Paarl), Centurion Park (Pretoria), St George’s Park Cricket Ground (Eastern Cape).

How about the prize money? 

Ah, now you talking. 

The competition winners are set to walk away with a handsome South African Rand 34 million. The runners-up will claim an R16.25 million share of the prize money, with third and fourth place receiving R8.9 million and R7.85 million, respectively. 

Fifth and sixth place will also receive R2.5 million and R2.0 million each, rounding up the prize pool. 

(On January 9, 2024, the price of one rand in USD = 0.054)