South Africa will become the latest addition to the Twenty20 franchise ranks in January when the inaugural edition of the SA20 gets underway.
While the Indian Premier League (IPL) is firmly established as the top T20 franchise competition, plenty of respected pundits think South Africa’s new venture could become a serious rival.
Headline sponsor Betway will be eager to see the league get off to a flying start and a 10-year broadcast deal with Viacom18 Sports in India gives the SA20 every chance of flourishing.
The league starts on January 10, 2023, and culminates with the final at the Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, on February 11.
Six teams, each owned by IPL franchises, will compete to lift the trophy in a competition that looks guaranteed to deliver plenty of thrilling action.
Read on as we preview the SA20 2023 and predict who we think will get their hands on the trophy at the end of the competition.
SA20 Teams
With no previous form to go on, it comes as no surprise to find that there is little to choose between the six teams in the latest SA20 betting for the tournament. The full line-up is as follows:
Paarl Royals
David Miller, Ferisco Adams, Corbin Bosch, Jos Buttler, Bjorn Fortuin, Evan Jones, Wihan Lubbe, Obed McCoy, Imraan Manack, Eoin Morgan, Lungi Ngidi, Jason Roy, Tabraiz Shamsi, Ramon Simmonds, Mitchell van Buuren, Dane Vilas, Codi Yusuf.
Durban Super Giants
Quinton de Kock, Kyle Abbott, Matthew Breetzke, Johnson Charles, Simon Harmer, Jason Holder, Christian Jonker, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Kyle Mayers, Wiaan Mulder, Keemo Paul, Dwaine Pretorius, Reece Topley, Prenelan Subrayen, Dilshan Madushanka, Junior Dala.
Pretoria Capitals
Eathan Bosch, Theunis de Bruyn, Shane Dadswell, Cameron Delport, Daryn Dupavillon, Will Jacks, Josh Little, Marco Marais, Kusal Mendis, Jimmy Neesham, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Migael Pretorius, Adil Rashid, Rilee Rossouw, Phil Salt, Shaun von Berg.
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MI Cape Town
Rashid Khan, Ziyaad Abrahams, Jofra Archer, Dewald Brevis, Sam Curran, Beuran Hendricks, Duan Jansen, George Linde, Liam Livingstone, Wesley Marshall, Delano Potgieter, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Grant Roelofsen, Waqar Salamkheil, Odean Smith, Olly Stone, Rassie van der Dussen.
Johannesburg Super Kings
Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Harry Brook, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Leus du Plooy, Donovan Ferreira, George Garton, Lewis Gregory, Reeza Hendricks, Alzarri Joseph, Janneman Malan, Caleb Seleka, Romario Shepherd, Malusi Siboto, Maheesh Theekshana, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad Williams.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape
Aiden Markram, Tom Abell, Marques Ackerman, Ottniel Baartman, Brydon Carse, Mason Crane, Jordan Cox, Junaid Dawood, Sarel Erwee, James Fuller, Aya Gqamane, Marco Jansen, Jordan Hermann, Sisanda Magala, Tristan Stubbs, Adam Rossington, Jon-Jon Smuts, Roelof van der Merwe.
SA20 Preview
The Paarl Royals may well dominate many of the sports news headlines during the early part of the year after assembling an impressive squad for the first edition of the SA20.
David Miller, Eoin Morgan, Lungi Ngidi and Jason Roy are amongst what looks to be a competitive squad, but the standout name in the line-up is undoubtedly Jos Buttler.
He played a key role to help England win the T20 World Cup in Australia last month and will be eager to demonstrate his quality in the newly launched competition.
Another player to watch out for is Tristan Stubbs, who cost Sunrisers Eastern Cape a whopping $520,000 when the SA20 auction was staged in September.
Stubbs ran riot against England during the summer and has the talent to cause mayhem if he produces his best form for the Sunrisers.
Johannesburg Super Kings, MI Cape Town and Pretoria Capitals should also be competitive, but the biggest challengers to the Royals could be the Durban Super Giants.
Quinton de Kock is the top name in a line-up packed with plenty of promising homegrown talent and a useful sprinkling of overseas stars.
SA 20 Prediction
De Kock’s captaincy skills will be crucial to the Super Giants’ hopes of success, but the Royals look to be the value bet given the strength of their squad.
