• Sunrisers delegation in PE to prepare for SA20

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    A high-powered management delegation from the Sunrisers Hyderabad has travelled to the Eastern Cape to start preparing for the SA20 league.

    The new six-team tournament includes a Gqeberha-based franchise, the Sunrisers Eastern Cape.

    “We are looking forward to bringing our style of high-energy T20 cricket to Nelson Mandela Bay in a format which has wide appeal,” said K Shanmugam, head of the Sunrisers sports division.

    “We bring a vast repertoire of skills and expertise in the domain of sports marketing which can be seamlessly adapted and ported into the new T20 league that is envisaged in South Africa.”

    Sunrisers Eastern Cape will also support Eastern Province Cricket to strengthen the pipeline of young players coming into the game.

    “T20 is the ideal platform from which to grow the sport from grassroots level,” said Shanmugam. “It will inspire talented young players, and we hope to see more Eastern Cape players in the Proteas national team in the years to come.

    “We pride ourselves on our talent scouting system, which has been one of the key strengths of the Sunrisers. We have discovered many gifted professionals who have gone on to play for their national sides and become most sought-after names in the game.”

    The first match of the SA20 is scheduled for 23 January. Players will be confirmed after an auction on 19 September.

    ALSO READ: 318 players up for SA20 auction

    The Sunrisers Hyderabad are owned by the Sun TV Network, which is one of the largest Indian media groups, with 33 TV channels and 69 radio stations in various languages across the world.

    “The Sunrisers will help promote Nelson Mandela Bay and the Eastern Cape as a whole as both a tourist and investment destination,” said Mark Williams, CEO of Cricket Eastern Cape.

    The Sunrisers Hyderabad made an explosive entry into the IPL in 2013 when they reached the playoffs. They were IPL champions in 2016 and runners-up in 2018.

    Shanmugam says having the Sunrisers Eastern Cape based in Nelson Mandela Bay will open up opportunities for South African players.

    “The South African league will definitely be a platform for some of the young SA players to get an opportunity to be a part of our IPL camps and training facilities as well as play in the IPL, rubbing shoulders with the best cricketers in the world.”

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    Simon Borchardt