SA20 Rookies set to shine on biggest local T20 stage

The third edition of South Africa’s premier franchise T20 competition is set to get under way on January 10, with star players of the games shortest format descending from around the world to take part.

However one of the most interesting aspects when it comes to major T20 competitions, is how the youngsters measure up to the veterans, and if a new future star will be revealed.

Each SA20 franchise, namely double defending champs Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Joburg Super Kings (JSK), Pretoria Capitals, Mumbai Indians Cape Town (MICT), Durban’s Super Giants (DSG) and Paarl Royals, is mandated to sign one rookie every season.

A Rookie is a South African player aged 22 or under on the day of the auction that has not been contracted to SA20 before, and the first draft was held ahead of season two, to tremendous success.

Of the six rookies signed in 2023’s draft, five of them have been retained by their franchises as regular players this season, with Nqaba Peter (Royals), Andile Simelane (Sunrisers), Bryce Parsons (DSG), Connor Esterhuizen (MICT), and Tiaan van Vuuren (Capitals) all staying put.

Only JSK’s Ronan Herrmann was not retained and unable to find a home for SA20 season three.

Of season two’s rookies, Peter has become the most successful, with the 23-year-old making his Proteas T20I debut against the West Indies in Kingston in May, and he has gone on to play eight T20I’s over the rest of the year.

He also made his ODI debut against Afghanistan in the UAE in September, playing in two games, and the confidence placed in him indicates he has a bright international future ahead of him for the Proteas.

Peter explained how important the SA20 experience was, saying: “In the change-room, there's Lungi (Ngidi), Andile (Phehlukwayo), (Tabraiz) Shamsi, guys I watched on TV.

“I don't know if there's a word to describe how it really feels to be around them. I had some mentorship from these guys. It's definitely an experience every cricketer should be able to experience.”

Looking onto SA20 season three a new batch of rookies will be aiming to emulate or even outperform the inaugural class, with them set to take their huge opportunity to shine on the biggest T20 stage in South Africa.

The most experienced rookie picked up in the 2024 draft was Western Province wicketkeeper batsman Daniel Smith, who was snapped up by the Sunrisers.

The 22-year-old Smith has already featured in 17 first class, 15 list A and 15 T20 games over his budding career and he will be looking to back up Proteas star Tristan Stubbs, who kept wicket for the Sunrisers in season two.

Two SA U19 stars who helped the team reach the U19 World Cup final back in February were also picked up, with Tristan Luus going to MICT and Dewan Marais heading to the Royals.

Luus shared the new ball with teen sensation Kwena Maphaka, and snared seven wickets over the junior tournament, while Marais impressed with the bat, hitting two half centuries with a highest score of 80 not out.

Marais has gone on to represent Easterns extensively in CSA’s division two over the current season, and has 19 T20s, seven list A and three first class games to his name.

Luus has played in four list A and two T20 matches, which included making his Dolphins debut earlier this year, and also represented the SA Emerging team on their tour to Zimbabwe and SA A team in their home series against Sri Lanka A.

The three most inexperienced players picked up in the draft were JP King (JSK), CJ King (DSG) and Keagan Lion-Cachet (Capitals).

The King brothers, JP (21) and CJ (20) are both Warriors representatives, with JP having played 17 T20s, three list A and two first class games, while CJ has played seven T20s and two first class matches.

The 22-year-old Lion-Cachet is the only one of the six yet to make his senior franchise debut, although he represented the South African Universities team at the African Games in Ghana in 2024.

SA20 season three will now be the platform for these six youngsters to show what they can do and prove that they have what it takes to make it in the big leagues, and hopefully follow in the footsteps of Peter into the Proteas setup.