ROYALS' KUMAR SANGAKKARA PLACES HIGH VALUE ON SPIN IN RETENTION LIST

Paarl Royals Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara has admitted releasing seamers Lungi Ngidi and Kwena Maphaka was “tough” ahead of Betway SA20 Season 4.

Both players have a distinct association with the Boland Park-based franchise with Ngidi being the first-ever Betway SA20 pick at the inaugural auction back in 2022.

Equally, Maphaka was pre-signed by the Royals when the left-arm seamer was still a 17-year-old schoolboy at St Stithians Boys' College in 2023 prior to his heroics for the SA U19s at the ICC U19 World Cup last year. He remains the youngest ever player to be signed up in SA20.

Sangakkara, though, believes Boland Park has shown to be favourable towards the spinners, which has tilted the Royals in favour of including both local favourite Bjorn Fortuin and Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman on their player retention list released on Wednesday.

“Letting go of big names like Lungi Ngidi and Kwena Maphaka was tough, but mega auctions are tough with finite budgets and we could only retain four South Africans,” Sangakkara said.

“We’re thrilled to welcome back Mujeeb who knows how the slow tracks behave in Paarl, our culture, and finished last season as our leading wicket‐taker, while Bjorn’s experience and recent white‐ball outings for South Africa are invaluable.”

Former England captain Joe Root’s omission after being a standout performer at the Royals last season is directly due to the Ashes between England and Australia coinciding with Season 4, which prompted Sangakkara to hunt down a like-for-like replacement in Zimbabwe’s T20I captain Sikandar Raza.

“Joe Root will be unavailable this year due to his England commitments. His runs and off‐breaks were vital, but he also played a huge role in the dressing room, guiding South Africa’s next generation,” the Sri Lankan legend said.

“Lhuan-dre [Pretorius] and Rubin [Hermann] learned from his presence here and he even gifted Rubin his bat before leaving. Replacing someone of his calibre is sometimes difficult, so we needed a T20 superstar who fits our culture. Sikandar Raza ticks every box: a proven performer.”

Despite Maphaka’s release, the Royals have shown they remain committed to nurturing homegrown South African talent with the retention of newly-capped Proteas T20 Internationals Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Rubin Hermann (Wildcard).

Pretorius displayed his immense value last season when he topped the competition’s run-scorers list, while Rubin finished as the Royals’ second highest run-scorer behind the dynamic opener. Both were playing in their maiden Betway SA20 seasons.

“When we signed Lhuan-dre ahead of the U‐19 World Cup, we saw his talent; but the dedication he’s shown since has been remarkable,” Sangakkara said.

“He’s also spent time in India with the Royals and fully understands our brand of cricket. His energy is infectious, and Rubin brings the same drive. His recent national call‐up speaks volumes.”

Sangakkara added that retaining David Miller as the Royals skipper was a “no brainer” and that the Royals management team will be pushing hard at the upcoming auction on September 9 to compile a squad capable of progressing to a first-ever Betway SA20 Final.

“The aim is to further strengthen our squad in the auction that is capable of lifting the trophy in February 2026,” he said.