De Villiers, Amla among marquee SA players for new T20 league

The distinguished players will represent their sides at the T20 Global Destination League.

Published : Apr 21, 2017 16:20 IST , Johannesburg

Haroon Lorgat... “This announcement (of South Africa’s marquee players) is another major step towards establishing our new T20 League in South Africa.”
Haroon Lorgat... “This announcement (of South Africa’s marquee players) is another major step towards establishing our new T20 League in South Africa.”
lightbox-info

Haroon Lorgat... “This announcement (of South Africa’s marquee players) is another major step towards establishing our new T20 League in South Africa.”

South Africa’s One-Day International (ODI) captain AB de Villiers and veteran batsman Hashim Amla are among the eight marquee players who will represent various franchises in the first two editions of the new T20 Global Destination League which gets underway later this year.

This follows last week’s announcement by Cricket South Africa (CSA) of the eight marquee foreign international players. Each marquee Proteas player will be allocated to a new franchise team based in the city he has either been historically associated with or a city with which he can build a strong association.

The other marquee South Africa players who possess playing league contracts with CSA are: Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada, and Imran Tahir.

“The selection of our own South African marquee players has been very exciting,” commented CSA Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat. “And it will be even more exciting when we engage fans to help us to allocate the “home-town hero” to each franchise team.

“This announcement is another major step towards establishing our new T20 League in South Africa. We must not understate the world-class quality of our own players. They are household names across the world and our fans in South Africa will finally get the chance to see them compete against one another at home. Together with the international marquee players announced last week, the Protea stars will add great value to the new franchise teams they will represent,” concluded Lorgat.

South Africa’s Test and T20 captain Faf du Plessis said, “It is a great feeling to be named amongst the eight marquee players. These are some of the best players in the world. Playing against them in the new #T20 Global Destination League will be a different challenge and one I look forward to. It will be fun and at the same time very competitive because we know each other so well. I am really looking forward to it.”

De Villiers said, “I’m honoured to be part of this list and cannot wait for the competition to get going. It’s amazing to think that the best in the world are going to be here on our shores. Looking at the international names, they are individuals that have changed the landscape of T20 cricket and I look forward to featuring in the league.”

‘Overwhelmed’

Young Proteas fast bowler Kagiso Rabada said, “I am overwhelmed to have been named a marquee player. I still cannot believe it and l think it will only hit home as the competition gets close. I look forward to leading by example in the #T20 Global Destination League. It is an opportunity for every young South African cricketer to put their name on the world map. Just thinking of it excites me.”

As had been announced last week, each franchise team will also be allocated an international marquee player. This means that each team will start with two marquee players named in its 17-man squad. The rest of the squad will be assembled by the team owners and coach in a player draft system.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment