Photo Credit: SA20 League
Six young South African cricketers are in line for a career-changing opportunity at the Betway SA20 Season 3 Rookie Draft set for 1 October in Cape Town.
After proving to be a successful addition in Season 2, the draft will once again form part of the premier auction.
In a testimony to the depth of the South African talent, five of the six Rookies selected at the last auction, in addition to a further two replacement Rookies, have been incorporated in the list of retained players by their respective teams for Season 3.
Paarl Royals’ leg-spinner, Nqaba Peter, believes his Rookie experience during the Betway SA20 last season accelerated his development that saw him capped by the Proteas Men’s team in both T20I and ODI formats.
“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,” Peter said.
The League remains committed to exposing South Africa’s young talent to a high-quality international standard competition where they are able to learn from some of the world’s leading T20 coaches, players and optimal team environments.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s all-rounder, Andile Simelane, was thankful he was able to train under the tutelage of Proteas bowling legend, Dale Steyn, at St George’s Park.
“It was something special for me to get a chance, an opportunity to work with the best coaches and overseas players. I was very excited to be part of the defending champions’ squad,” Simelane said.
“I worked with Dale; he’s added a few things to my bowling. I think those things have helped me a lot. Growing up I wanted to be part of the best teams in the world. It’s something I will never forget.”
WATCH OUR EXCLUSIVE ROOKIE INTERVIEWS WITH
Being part of MI Cape Town’s squad was the fulfilment of a boyhood fantasy for Connor Esterhuizen.
“It was a childhood dream,” he enthused. “I told Rassie (van der Dussen) how early on in his career, he threw a pair of pants down at the Wanderers, and I still have those pants.”
“And then the international stars were so special. It was awesome to see how they go about their business.
“I loved being able to connect with the staff and the team. It was a very nurturing family environment. You can never ask enough questions and learn as much as possible. My teammates have been unbelievable, there was a great bond.”
A total of 89 young players have entered the draft, which includes the likes of South Africa U19 fast bowler, Tristan Luus, Western Province all-rounder Abdallah Bayoumy, North West Dragons wicketkeeper-batter Meeka-eel Prince, South Africa U19 captain Juan James and SA Emerging XI batter Dewan Marais.
ROOKIE DRAFT EXPLAINED
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. All six teams are mandated to select a player from the Rookie draft.
A player meeting the definition of a Rookie can be bought in the regular auction stage, but if not chosen in the regular auction, will then be eligible for the Rookie draft which will take place at the end of the regular auction.
Each team will have two minutes to make their choice and will be ‘on the clock’ to stick within the parameters.
Each Rookie player has a set value of R75 000, which will be deducted from the team’s available salary cap prior to the auction to make sure there is absolute clarity at all stages of the Player Auction as to how much purse is remaining and ensure that the Rookie Fee is sufficiently catered for by each Franchise.
The standard regulations pertaining to squad composition, salary cap and base prices will apply.
Should a Franchise already have a player in the squad that meets the definition of a Rookie player, this player will not count as the Rookie player as far as this provision is concerned. Each Franchise must take a Rookie player in the draft portion of proceedings.
The order of selection will be as follows (reverse order of final positions from Season 2):
1. MI Cape Town (log position 6)
2. Pretoria Capitals (log position 5)
3. Paarl Royals (Loser of Eliminator match)
4. Joburg Super Kings (loser of Qualifer 2 match)
5. Durban’s Super Giants (Runners up)
6. Sunrisers Eastern Cape (Champions)
The Betway SA20 auction and Rookie draft will take place in Cape Town on Tuesday, 1 October. It will be live on SuperSport from 16h15 (SAST) with rolling coverage on all SA20 social media platforms.
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SA20, officially known as the Betway SA20 for sponsorship reasons, is a Twenty20 franchise cricket tournament in South Africa organized by Cricket South Africa (CSA). First held in the 2023 season, the league features six city-based teams. Sunrisers Eastern Cape won the first two editions of the tournament.
