With less than 100 days to go until Betway SA20 Season 4, the franchise coaches have given their thoughts on how their respective squads shape up.
The aftermath of the highly entertaining and competitive 7-hour auction has settled, with teams looking ahead to the next task, which starts on 26 December 2025.
Legendary Proteas fast bowler Dale Steyn, a two-time Betway SA20 champion who knows all about what it takes to compile a successful squad, sat down with Robin Peterson (MI Cape Town), Kumar Sangakkara (Paarl Royals), Sourav Ganguly (Pretoria Capitals) and Russell Domingo (Sunrisers Eastern Cape) for insight on their respective squads.
Reigning champions, MI Cape Town, are well-positioned for a strong title defence in Season 4. The Newlands-based side managed to reclaim stalwarts such as Rassie van der Dussen and Reeza Hendricks to restore the successful Season 3 top-order, which includes Betway SA20 leading run-scorer Ryan Rickelton. Promising young seamer Tristan Luus also rejoins MI Cape Town, while experienced wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi is an exciting addition.
“That (retention) was a big part of our strategy,” Peterson said. “We couldn’t believe our luck when we were getting a lot of them back. Continuity is so important in franchise cricket.
“We’re just thrilled that we’re getting a lot of them back. A lot of them are leaders within our dressing room to be honest. They don’t only play well on the cricket field, it’s what they add outside of the cricket that makes a big difference.”
The Pretoria Capitals adopted a contrasting strategy by overhauling their entire squad and armed with the biggest purse of R32.5 million, managed to land marquee signings such as Betway SA20 Rising Stars Dewald Brevis and Connor Esterhuizen while building an experienced pace attack that includes Proteas seamers Lungi Ngidi, Lizaad Williams and Codi Yusuf along with England duo Craig Overton and Saqib Mahmood.
“We came in with a fresh slate and we wanted the best domestic players. That’s experience gained from IPL auctions,” former India captain Ganguly said. “We were very keen on the bowling department because it’s not very easy bowling at Centurion.
“We wanted to have bowling options, we emphasised on the fast bowling. We have some great players … Brevis at R16.5 million … we hope he handles the pressure well.”
The beauty of Betway SA20 is the unique conditions at each venue with distinct challenges posed in almost every game. Paarl Royals’ homeground, Boland Park, in particular is almost subcontinental-like with its surface favouring the spinners and skillful seamers such as West Indies wrist spinner Gudakesh Motie and former Sunrisers Eastern Cape stalwart Ottneil Baartman.
“We look to be spin dominant at home, and we’ve got the ability with the all-rounders in our top seven, plus the spinners that we have as specialists to be able to do that job for us,” Sangakkara said.
“I think Baartman suits our conditions really well, and he’s able to play from home as well. Eshan Malinga is very good in conditions that are slow and low.”
Two-times champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape bid farewell to their former captain Aiden Markram at the auction, but managed to secure a suitable replacement in Quinton de Kock along with maintaining their trust in homegrown Eastern Cape talent with the acquisition of in-form Proteas batter Matthew Breetzke, the “Uitenhague Express” Anrich Nortje and resigning of Jordan Hermann.
“We snuck in with one of the best players South Africa’s ever had in Quinton de Kock,” Domingo said. “We’re ecstatic to have Quinton. And then to also get Jordan back.
“We’ve tried to maintain the squad as we had, because we’ve been successful over the last few years, winning two trophies and getting to a final, so we tried to keep the nucleus of the players together.
“He (Anrich) also lives around the corner. If we can get him firing, bowling at 145 clicks, he’s handful.
“If you go to St. George’s Park, the people sort of know the players, and they know where they live, and they see them in the shopping centre, and they walk past them on the beach. So, that’s the pretty cool thing (about the Sunrisers).”
Steyn believes the Durban’s Super Giants have acquired an “incredible player” in Proteas T20 captain Markram and could potentially form a devastating partnership with the “phenomenal” Heinrich Klaasen and New Zealander Devon Conway holding it all together.
Steyn is also excited to see teenage seamer Kwena Maphaka in the more seamer-friendly conditions of Kingsmead in Season 4.
South Africa’s emerging young talent has Steyn brimming with enthusiasm and he feels that Joburg Super Kings could unleash a few players that could take Betway SA20 Season 4 by storm after coach Stephen Fleming went on a scouting mission with a three-day camp prior to the auction.
“JSK has a few players that not many would have heard of before,” Steyn said. “Steve Stolk played SAU19 and Janco Smit and Neil Timmers.
“I feel these guys are not household names just yet, but showing the influence of someone like Albie Morkel who is on the JSK coaching staff, and he would certainly have been in Flem’s ears about these future stars.”
Season 4 of Betway SA20 will start on 26 December 2025 when defending Champions, MI Cape Town host Durban’s Super Giants at Newlands.
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Still on the subject of cricket superstitions, the player with the most rituals performed during a match is arguably Neil McKenzie of South Africa. Before a game, for example, he would attach his cricket bat to the ceiling with tape. When it’s time for him to bat, he would check all the changing room lights to make sure they were shut off and that the toilet seats were down.