The success of the IPL and other global T20 leagues has brought in a new landscape in the World of T20 Franchise Cricket.
The Owners of the IPL Franchises have left no stone unturned as they have jumped on to the boat and have owned teams under their belt and have made them an extended arm of the popular IPL Franchises.
One such example has been South Africa's brand new T20 league the CSA T20 League, where the owners of Mumbai, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Chennai, Rajasthan and Delhi franchises own teams in South Africa from Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha (formerly known as Port Elizabeth), Johannesburg, Paarl and Pretoria respectively.
With the auction taking place in next month and with the league colliding with UAE's ILT20 and with later stages of BBL and BPL in 2023 January window, CSA has aggressively started to pin players under their global marquee event.
According to the rules of the CSA T20 League, each franchise is allowed to pre-sign five players which should include three overseas players, one South African player and one uncapped South African Player.
So far 11 English players have signed for the inaugural league – making them the largest overseas contingent followed by Sri Lankan (10 players). However, there are no players from Pakistan in the list. Even Cricket Australia, Bangladesh Cricket Board are reluctant to provide the players with NOC to participate in the league.
Today we will be having a look at who are the players who have been pre-signed by the 6 Franchises of the CSA T20 League.
MI CAPE TOWN.
The Cape Town based team is owned by the IPL’s Mumbai Indians franchise and is one of the most sought after teams in the CSA T20 League.
The MI Cape Town side have roped in Kagiso Rabada as the poster boy and have also secured the services of young Dewald Brevis, who also currently plays for the Mumbai Indians, as the uncapped player. They have signed Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran and Rashid Khan as their overseas recruits.
JOHANNESBURG SUPER KINGS.
Owned by the owners of Chennai Super Kings, the Johannesburg Super Kings have announced their 5 players for the league.
Johannesburg franchise has signed Faf du Plessis as the Skipper of their side. CSK players Moeen Ali and Maheesh Theekshana too have joined the side along with West Indies all-rounder Romario Shepherd. Gerald Coetzee has been signed as the uncapped South African player.
RPSG DURBAN.
The Durban Franchise has been brought by the Sanjiv Goenka owned Lucknow Super Giants and have rebranded the Team as RSPG Durban.
They have also signed the duo of Quinton de Kock and Jason Holder as their first two signings. The duo were the proud flag bearers of the LSG Franchise in the IPL. Apart from them, the franchise has also secured the services of English Quick Reece Topley, all-rounder Kyle Mayers and Prenelan Subrayen as the uncapped cricketer.
PAARL ROYALS.
When it comes to carry forward the legacy, no team can actually beat the likes of Rajasthan Royals. The Paarl Royals as the side has been reportedly called have signed David Miller, an ex Royal as the flag bearer. They have also roped in Jos Buttler, the orange cap holder as their overseas signing. With a slot still vacant the Paarl Royals have roped in Obed McCoy. Also Corbin Bosch makes the way as the uncapped player.
PRETORIA CAPITALS.
Pretoria Capitals have however kept a secret stance while revealing their pre-signings. Unlike other franchises the Capitals have signed only two players for the upcoming CSA T20 League so far. The Capitals have signed Anrich Nortje as their first major signing with Migael Pretorius signing as the uncapped player.
SUNRISERS EAST CAPE.
Following the suit of the Capitals is the Sunrisers East Cape. The Port Elizabeth based franchise owned by the SRH group has named just one signing for the upcoming CSA T20 League. The first player who has signed in is Aiden Markram, a proud SRH player by heart.
...More to follow.