8 PLAYERS TO WATCH IN THE CSA T20 CHALLENGE

The Cricket SA T20 Challenge kickoff on Friday with the Jukskei derby between defending champions, the Lions and Titans, at the Wanderers. 

Newly-promoted Knights host North West Dragons on Saturday in Bloemfontein before Sunday’s coastal double-header with Western Province and Boland locked in for the Cape derby at Newlands while the Warriors going head-to-head with the Dolphins at St George’s Park. 

With the Betway SA20 auction set for Tuesday, October 1, we take a closer look at eight players who could possibly look to make a final impression before the hammer goes down. 

Evan Jones (Lions)

The promising all-rounder spent the past two seasons at the Paarl Royals, but was released ahead of Season 3. Jones will be keen to put in a big performance with either bat or ball against the Titans in a bid to get picked up by a new team on Tuesday. 

Romashan Pillay (Dolphins)

The former SA U19 all-rounder is a talented young cricketer and showed off his skills in the ICC U19 Men’s World Cup earlier this year. He has also already seen some of his teammates such as Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Steve Solk being called up to the SA20. At 19 years old, he still qualifies to be picked up as Rookie and could potentially be a drawcard for any of the six teams.

Matthew Boast (Titans)

Young Boast experienced the adrenaline rush of the auction last year when he was the centrepiece of a bidding war between the Pretoria Capitals and Joburg Super Kings. The Capitals eventually won the race by picking up the all-rounder for the joint highest price of R1.6 million.

Despite his hefty price tag, Boast was not afforded any playing time at Centurion and was subsequently released. Still only 21, the former SA U19 star would still be a great addition to any of the teams’ squads.

JP King (Warriors)

Following in the footsteps of Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen and Jordan Hermman, King is the latest in the production line of promising young cricketers to emerge from the Warriors. A right-handed top order batsman and a right-arm off spin bowler, King is a multi-faceted cricketer that meets all the demands of the modern game. At 19, he also still qualifies for the Rookie category.

Janneman Malan (North West Dragons)

The forgotten man of South African cricket will be eager to show that he still possesses the qualities that saw him being named ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year not so long ago. A quiet maiden SA20 season with the Joburg Super Kings saw Malan released before being overlooked for Season 2. A return to his hometown of Potchefstroom could just be the tonic required to revitalise Malan’s career and create a pathway back to SA20.

Grant Roelofsen (Boland)

After a solid maiden SA20 season with MI Cape Town both with the bat and behind the stumps, Roelofsen was afforded few opportunities in Season 2. It ultimately led to his release, but Roelofsen remains a high-quality cricketer that has spent some time honing his game playing in England’s T20 Blast.

Kyle Simmonds (Western Province)

Simmonds has never let any team down that he’s played for, and certainly put in a solid shift for the Joburg Super Kings during the two years he spent at the Wanderers. However, with JSK stocking up their spin resources with the arrival of Sri Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana and trading-in Tabraiz Shamsi, there was no place for Simmons in Season 3. The left-arm spinner would still be a worthy purchase at the auction.

Grant Roelofsen and Kyle Simmonds are up for grabs in the Season 3 Auction after MI Cape Town and Joburg Super Kings, respectively, didn't retain them.

Johan van Dyk (Knights)

Express pace is an asset in any format and Van Dyk possesses it in abundance. Having now moved from the Northern Cape Heat to the Knights in a bid to Division 1 cricket, Van Dyk may just have opened up the window to even bigger things. He could be a real surprise package should he be picked up at the auction.