Team squads finalised for Mzansi Super League

There were 184 foreign players, including kolpak players, in the draft which was a huge increase on the 71 who applied last year. 

Each team had already been allocated a big-name Marquee Standard Bank Protea player as well as an International Marquee player. Today the teams made their picks to fill the remaining places from the foreign/kolpak and South African players. Thirteen players were chosen today and the 14^th position will be a wild card to be selected at the conclusion of the Provincial T20 competition. This will give all squads a total of 16 players. 

The draft started with a reduced round one as the Durban Heat (David Miller), the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants (Chris Morris) and the Jozi Stars (Rassie van der Dussen) had all retained their first-choice players from last year’s tournament. It meant that the Tshwane Spartans had the first pick with Morne Morkel, followed by the Paarl Rocks with JP Duminy and the Cape Town Blitz with Liam Livingstone of England who has two T20 International caps and a strike rate of 142 in T20 leagues. 

In round two there was only place available with the Heat opting for Dane Vilas as the Blitz (Dale Steyn), the Stars (Reeza Hendricks), the Giants (JJ Smuts), the Rocks (Tabraiz Shamsi) and the Spartans (Lungi Ngidi) all had retained players.

 

The Heat also followed the international route in round three with the selection of England’s Ravi Bopara.

 

The resulting teams are a unique blend of both local youth and international experience which is sure to make for some very exciting cricket.

 

The Draft order was predetermined by a weighted Player Matrix system.

 

FINAL SQUADS

 

(in order of Protea Marquee Player, International Marquee Player, and then the 13 draft rounds)

 

CAPE TOWN BLITZ: Quinton de Kock, Wahab Riaz (Pakistan), Liam Livingstone (England), Dale Steyn (retained player), Sisanda Magala, Anrich Nortje (retained player), Asif Ali (Pakistan, retained player), Mohammad Nawaz (Pakistan), Janneman Malan (retained player), George Linde, David Bedingham, Vernon Philander, Marques Ackerman, Gregory Mahlokoana, Aviwe Mgijima 

 

DURBAN HEAT: Andile Phehlukwayo, Alex Hales (England), David Miller (retained player), Dane Vilas, Ravi Bopara (England), Keshav Maharaj (retained player), Kyle Abbott (kolpak, retained player), Khaya Zondo (retained player), Marco Jansen (rookie), Daryn Dupavillon, Sarel Erwee (retained player), Malusi Siboto, Prenelan Subrayen, Wihan Lubbe, Shaun von Berg

 

JOZI STARS: Kagiso Rabada, Chris Gayle (Windies), Rassie van der Dussen (retained player), Reeza Hendricks (retained player), Daniel Christian (Australia, retained player), Temba Bavuma, Duanne Olivier (retained player), Simon Harmer, Ryan Rickelton (retained player), Aaron Phangiso, Lizaad Williams, Sinethemba Qeshile (retained player), Nono Pongolo, Eathan Bosch, Delano Potgieter

 

NELSON MANDELA BAY GIANTS: Imran Tahir, Jason Roy (England), Chris Morris (retained player), Jon-Jon Smuts (retained player), Junior Dala (retained player), Farhaan Behardien, Beuran Hendricks, Matthew Breetzke, Onke Nyaku, Ben Dunk (Australia), Heino Kuhn (retained player), Marco Marais (retained player), Grant Thomson, Akhona Mnyaka, Nandre Burger

 

PAARL ROCKS: Faf du Plessis, Isuru Udana (Sri Lanka), JP Duminy, Tabraiz Shamsi (retained player), Hardus Viljoen, Aiden Markram (retained player), Bjorn Fortuin (retained player), James Vince (England), Dwaine Pretorius, Cameron Delport (kolpak, retained player), Sibonelo Makhanya, Henry Davids (retained player), Mangaliso Mosehle (retained player), Ferisco Adams, Kerwin Mungroo

 

TSHWANE SPARTANS: AB de Villiers, Tom Curran (England), Morne Morkel, Lungi Ngidi (retained player), Heinrich Klaasen, Theunis de Bruyn (retained player), Roelof van der Merwe, Lutho Sipamla (retained player), Pite van Biljon, Tony de Zorzi (retained player), Waqar Salamkheil (Afghanistan), Dean Elgar, Wiaan Mulder, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Corbin Bosch