SA20 LEAGUE: THE THIRD BITE OF THE APPLE

Written by: Kamogelo Mogale

The much anticipated third season of the SA20 League is set to get underway on Thursday. Eyes will be set and fixed on the Sunrisers Eastern Cape, who have completely dominated the first two seasons, winning the title on both occasions. They will once again start their title defence against the MI Cape Town at the St. George’s Park.

Sunrisers’ captain Aiden Markram will once again lead his team in a quest to achieve a hat-trick this season. Addressing the media in Cape Town, Markram said that he’s looking forward to what lies ahead of them this season.

“It’s nice to be used in the same sentence as the Bokke, but really pumped to go for a third one this season. Obviously there are no guarantees. It’s a hugely competitive tournament. Hopefully, in a month’s time there is something cool that can happen,” said Markram.

League commissioner Graeme Smith has promised South African and world supporters that this season’s campaign will even be bigger and better following the success of the first two seasons.

“I am very excited. I think every year when we get to this point it’s a balance of excitement and fear. We’ve worked extremely hard to get to this point,” Smith said.

“Two seasons in I feel we are now an established product. We’re probably the biggest league outside of the IPL. Being able to attract the six franchises that we have, they are very professional, very competitive. We’ve had quality local and international players. The squads look even stronger in Season 3. We can so see many matchups,” added Smith.

The Durban Super Giants will be looking to better their performance in the season’s campaign as they lost in the final against the reigning champions SEC. With key additions such as New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson, they could have what it takes to claim the title from the Sunrisers.

Here’s a run through of the teams and their captains:

Sunrisers Eastern Cape (Aiden Markram)

Durban Super Giants (Keshav Maharaj)

Joburg Super Kings (Faf du Plessis)

MI Cape Town (Rashid Khan)

Paarl Royals (David Miller)

Pretoria Capitals (Rilee Rossow)

The league will get underway from the 9th of January till the 8th of February 2025.