Sixes galore, rattled stumps, fantastic catches - cricket fans can look forward to a lot of scintillating action during the inaugural edition of the SA20, which gets underway from January 10.
Quinton de Kock-led Durban’s Super Giants (DSG) will play their first SA20 2023 match on January 11 against the Joburg Super Kings.
Ahead of the campaign, we look at some of the DSG players to watch out for in South Africa’s explosive new T20 league.
#1. Jason Holder
Reliable with the bat and clinical with the ball - former West Indies captain Jason Holder can be a key player Durban’s Super Giants in the inaugural season. The 31-year-old all-rounder is an experienced campaigner, featuring in 200 T20s so far.
Holder has scored 1758 runs and picked 197 wickets in the shortest format. He also led Barbados Royals to the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) title in 2019.
The West Indian can tonk some big hits lower down the order and can stay calm in crunch situations. Holder’s line and length with the new ball also tends to keep batters under check in the powerplay overs and the West Indian could prove to be a valuable asset for the team on the lively pitch in Durban.
#2. Keshav Maharaj
Keshav Maharaj is expected to be one of the leaders in the Durban’s Super Giants team. The left-arm spinner is an experienced campaigner for South Africa at the international level and has also led the national team.
Maharaj has taken 105 T20 wickets in 129 matches and boasts an economy rate of 6.73 in the format. The Durban-based player is also a handy batter, averaging 19.12 in this format. He emerged as one of the top performers for South Africa in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Having played extensively for the Dolphins in domestic cricket, Maharaj will be well-acquainted with the Kingsmead pitch. His experience and trickery with the ball may prove vital to the Super Giants in the upcoming season.
#3. Heinrich Klaasen
In the last few years, Heinrich Klaasen has built his reputation at the international level as a clean-hitter of the ball. The South African is especially effective in T20s.
Klaasen, the most expensive buy for the team at R 4.5 million, is equally adept at accelerating the scoring rate in the middle and death overs and anchoring the innings in difficult situations.
The Protea wicketkeeper-batter strikes at 146.79 in T20 Internationals and has scored 2489 runs in 131 T20s. Along with his success in the domestic circuit, Klaasen has also been a noteworthy performer in other franchise leagues globally.
Owing to his adaptable batting style, Klaasen is expected to be a mainstay in the Durban’s Super Giants middle-order in the upcoming SA20.
#4. Wiaan Mulder
Pieter Willem Adriaan Mulder, known as Wiaan Mulder, is one of the top young prospects in the Durban’s Super Giants team.
A right-handed batter and medium-pace bowler, Mulder has delivered good performances at the domestic level. Thanks to his impressive showings, Mulder was handed his South African debut at 18, back in 2017. Now 24, and with experience under his belt, Mulder may prove to be a key player for DSG in SA20 2023.
So far, he has amassed 846 runs in 56 T20 matches at an average just south of 30 and a strike-rate above 130.
#5. Matthew Breetzke
Another 24-year-old who could make a mark in the SA20 is Matthew Breetzke. The wicketkeeper-batter has impressed in the South African circuit and will be eager to prove himself on the big stage.
Breetzke adds another layer of strength to an already-solid Super Giants middle-order. He has scored 976 runs in 43 T20s, including eight fifties. He can score freely and mostly deals in boundaries in this format.
Breetzke was a part of the South African squad in the 2018 U-19 Cricket World Cup.
