T20 Global League announces final squads

128 players were picked in star-studded Player Draft held in Cape Town on Sunday.

South Africa pace spearhead Dale Steyn went to the Cape Town Knight Riders.

In a defining moment for South Africa’s inaugural T20 League, the Main Player Draft was held in Cape Town on Sunday, with 32 international and 96 local players going under the hammer.

Each franchise had already been allocated both a big-name marquee South African cricketer and an international marquee player, but the remaining 16 squad spots were filled today. The draft saw another 16 players picked per squad, over 16 rounds, with eight selected picks in each round.

The owners were asked to make their pick during the live event, with the first three players chosen being South African. Protea all-rounder Chris Morris was lapped up by the Durban Qalandars, followed by Protea bowler Dane Paterson who went to Bloem City Blazers, and South Africa pace spearhead Dale Steyn making a return to the game for the Cape Town Knight Riders.

Aiden Markram, 22, who went to the Nelson Mandela Bay Stars, was the first rookie to be picked, in round two. He was closely followed by fellow South Africans Wiaan Mulder, 19, selected by the Stellenbosch Monarchs, and Jason Smith, 22, picked by the Cape Town Knight Riders.

Akhona Mnyaka, an 18-year-old SA Schools player from Hudson Park in East London, became the youngest player in the draw when he was picked by the Bloemfontein City Blazers.