South Africa’s premier franchise cricket competition the SA20 kicks off its third edition next month, with some of the best T20 cricket talent from around the world taking part in the annual tournament.
The dominant Sunrisers Eastern Cape will be looking make it a three-peat as double defending champions, and they will be challenged by the Jozi Super Kings, Pretoria Capitals, Mumbai Indians Cape Town, Durban’s Super Giants and Paarl Royals.
Last season a number of players were ruled out of the second edition due to injuries, and will be back in action this season looking to make their mark. Here are some of the biggest returning stars.
RASHID KHAN
Afghanistan star Rashid Khan missed the entire SA20 2024 due to a back injury. He led the Mumbai Indians Cape Town in the inaugural edition in 2023, and was replaced in the team and as captain by West Indian T20 legend Kieron Pollard for season two.
With Pollard not taking part in the 2025 edition due to playing in the International League T20 in the UAE, it has been confirmed that Khan will retake the captaincy. Regardless he will be eager to impress after a strong 2024 season in which he played well in the IPL and led Afghanistan to the T20 World Cup semfinals in the West Indies and USA, where they were beaten by the Proteas.
CRAIG OVERTON
English fast bowler Craig Overton will be hoping to make his mark in his first campaign in the SA20 competition, after his missed out on the 2024 edition due to injury. Overton was signed by the now double defending SA20 champs Sunrisers Eastern Cape as a wildcard player for season two, before he was ruled out.
The 30-year-old has featured internationally for England in tests and ODI’s, but had yet to make his T20 international debut, but his still an experienced campaigner in the shortened format of the game. He has played in over a hundred T20 matches, won the T20 Blast (in England) with Somerset, and has represented the Southern Brave in the Hundred. He will now be looking to show what he can do in SA20 2025.
GERALD COETZEE
The karate kid Gerald Coetzee is in a race against time to prove his fitness and be ready to run out for the Joburg Super Kings at the start of the third edition of the SA20. Coetzee missed the entire second season of the competition after he picked up a pelvic injury against India in the Boxing Day test match last year.
It has since been an injury plagued year for the exciting young quick, although he played in the IPL and was in the Proteas squad for the T20 World Cup, but didn’t play. He picked up a side strain playing in Major League Cricket in the US which saw him miss winter tour to the West Indies.
Coetzee then took part in a strength and rehabilitation programme imposed by Cricket SA, which resulted in him missing series against Afghanistan and Ireland, and the two-match test series in Bangladesh. He returned to play in the CSA T20 competition and India T20I series, but was injured in the first test against Sri Lanka and is now hoping to recover in time for the start of the SA20.
ANRICH NORTJE
Another injury plagued Proteas star is Anrich Nortje, who is also touch and go for the start of the SA20 competition in January. The Pretoria Capitals quick helped them reach the final in season one, only to miss the entire season two after picking up a back stress fracture in September 2023 which ruled him out for nine months.
He returned towards the end of IPL 2024, before starring for the Proteas at the T20 World Cup, with him their highest wicket taker, helping them reach the final where they went down to India. He played a few games in Major League Cricket, featured extensively in the Caribbean Premier League, CSA T20 and Abu Dhabi T10.
He was finally set to make his international return in the Proteas T20I series against Pakistan earlier this month, but broke his toe in training, ruling him out of the entire white ball series. He will now hope to be ready for the Capitals T20 opener.
A few players have also been completely ruled out of SA20 season three through injury, with Joburg Super Kings bowlers Lizaad Williams and Nandre Burger replaced by Hardus Viljoen and Beuran Hendricks, while Sisanda Magala who missed the whole of season two is also not back.