The South African and international marquee players for the 2019 edition of the Mzansi Super League have been announced.
Pakistan fast bowler Wahab Riaz has replaced England batsman Dawid Malan as the Cape Town Blitz’s international marquee player. England fast bowler Tom Curran has replaced batsman Eoin Morgan at the Tshwane Spartans.
England’s David Willey has replaced West Indian Dwayne Bravo at the Paarl Rocks. The Durban Heat will have England’s Alex Hales rather than Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan.
The Jozi Stars and Nelson Mandela Bay Giants have retained West Indian Chris Gayle and England’s Jason Roy, respectively.
The Heat have replaced South African marquee player Hashim Amla with all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo. The Rocks, Spartans and Giants have retained batsman Faf du Plessis, former Proteas skipper AB de Villiers and leg-spinner Imran Tahir, respectively. Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has remained with the Stars. Wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock has stayed with the Blitz.
‘What a wonderful array of talent we will be able to put on show, drawn both from international and our own Proteas stars,’ said Cricket South Africa chief executive officer Thabang Moroe.
‘Entertainment is going to be the name of the game and the quality of T20 cricket is assured with these players having become global household names on the circuit around the world with most of them having played in the world-leading Indian Premier League.
‘The high level of interest to participate in our league confirms the great attraction of South Africa as a global destination. This is indeed very exciting.
‘This top-quality list of players sets a high bar for our tournament. We can certainly look forward to some enthralling contests that will grip the imagination of fans in South Africa and around the world. We also have a record number of international players lined up for our player draft early next month.’
South African marquee players
- Cape Town Blitz: Quinton de Kock
- Durban Heat: Andile Phehlukwayo
- Jozi Stars: Kagiso Rabada
- Nelson Mandela Bay Giants: Imran Tahir
- Paarl Rocks: Faf du Plessis
- Tshwane Spartans: AB de Villiers
International marquee players
- Cape Town Blitz: Wahab Riaz (Pakistan)
- Durban Heat: Alex Hales (England)
- Jozi Stars: Chris Gayle (Windies)
- Nelson Mandela Bay Giants: Jason Roy (England)
- Paarl Rocks: David Willey (England)
- Tshwane Spartans: Tom Curran (England)
Photo: Gallo Images
