All the Betway SA20 stars set to light up MLC 2026

North America is definitely the centre of the sporting world right now, what with football lovers arguing over VAR, set-pieces and hydration breaks and then – of course – there’s Major League Cricket 2026 getting underway on 19 June (SAST).

A total of 27 Betway SA20 stars will feature in the fourth edition of the competition, spread across all six teams.

Texas Super Kings have assembled the highest number with 10 players, headlined by skipper extraordinaire Faf du Plessis. He's joined by six of his Joburg Super Kings teammates in Nandre Burger, Donovan Ferreira, Akeal Hosein, Wiaan Mulder, Shubham Ranjane (who became the first American to play in SA20 during Season 4) and Rilee Rossouw. Head coach Stephen Fleming (assisted by his SA20 lieutenants Albie Morkel and Eric Simons) seems to be banking on familiarity breeding success as they target a first MLC title come 19 July.

Apart from the JSK family reunion, Pretoria Capitals spin king Keshav Maharaj, Sunrisers' speedster Adam Milne and Paarl Royals paceman Hardus Viljoen will also be turning out in yellow in MLC.

Defending champions MI New York have gone for a similar gameplan, with Mark Boucher’s eight-strong SA20 contingent including six players from their Cape Town franchise. Corbin Bosch, Trent Boult, Tristan Luus, Kieron Pollard and Ryan Rickelton and captain Nicholas Pooran will look to do a better job of a title defense in the US than they did during SA20 Season 4.

As it happens, the odd man out, Allah Ghazanfar saw his Sunrisers Eastern Cape team reclaim the SA20 trophy in Season 4.

Los Angeles Knight Riders, meanwhile, will have three of SA20’s most explosive talents in their ranks. Sunil Narine, the Durban's Super Giants mystery spinner (and pinch-hitter) who's bamboozled batters on every continent, joins Pretoria Capitals' powerful all-rounder Andre Russell and Rovman Powell, who made a late-Season 4 cameo in Paarl Royals colours, Between them, that's enough power-hitting and unplayable variation to frighten any line-up during MLC 2026.

Seattle Orcas also boast a trio of SA20 talent in Royals’ death-bowling specialist Ottneil Baartman (the Season 4 Bowler of the Season), Sunrisers' classy young batter Matthew Breetzke and his long-time friend and teammate Lutho Sipamla (who has been roped in by Orcas as a replacement for Pretoria Capitals' spearhead Lungi Ngidi).

San Francisco Unicorns have kept it lean but exciting in terms of SA20 talent having snapped up Paarl Royals' teenage sensation Lhuan-dre Pretorius and adding Pretoria Capitals’ Connor Esterhuizen as a replacement player.

Washington Freedom round things out with a single marquee name, but what a name - Marco Jansen, the towering Sunrisers Eastern Cape all-rounder who terrifies batters with bounce and clears ropes with ease.

SA20 PLAYERS AT MAJOR LEAGUE CRICKET (MLC) 2026 

Los Angeles Knight Riders: (3) Sunil Narine (Durban’s Super Giants), Rovman Powell (Paarl Royals), Andre Russell (Pretoria Capitals) 

MI New York: (8) Corbin Bosch (MI Cape Town), Trent Boult (MI Cape Town), Quinton de Kock (Sunrisers Eastern Cape), Allah Ghazanfar (Sunrisers Eastern Cape), Tristan Luus (MI Cape Town), Kieron Pollard (MI Cape Town), Nicholas Pooran (MI Cape Town), Ryan Rickelton (MI Cape Town) 

San Francisco Unicorns: (2) Connor Esterhuizen (Pretoria Capitals), Lhuan-dre Pretorius (Paarl Royals) 

Seattle Orcas: (3) Ottneil Baartman (Paarl Royals), Matthew Breetzke (Sunrisers Eastern Cape), Lutho Sipamla (Sunrisers Eastern Cape)  

Texas Super Kings: (10) Nandre Burger (Joburg Super Kings), Faf du Plessis (Joburg Super Kings), Donovan Ferreira (Joburg Super Kings), Akeal Hosein (Joburg Super Kings), Keshav Maharaj (Pretoria Capitals), Adam Milne (Sunrisers Eastern Cape), Wiaan Mulder (Joburg Super Kings), Shubham Ranjane (Joburg Super Kings), Rilee Rossouw (Joburg Super Kings), Hardus Viljoen (Paarl Royals) 

Washington Freedom: (1) Marco Jansen (Sunrisers Eastern Cape)