Time for young SA stars to shine
IPL: MIX OF YOUTH AND EXPERIENCE WILL BE ON SHOW
While some of South Africa’s most accomplished cricketers will have a chance to showcase their class once again, a few of the nation’s most promising young players will also have plenty to gain when the Indian Premier League (IPL) gets under way today.
Aside from benefiting from lucrative contracts and incentives, a few players will be eager to stick up their hands for selection ahead of the Proteas’ campaign at the T20 World Cup to be played in the United States and West Indies in June.
As can be expected, the majority of the 15 South Africans who have been signed by IPL squads are among the country’s most experienced players, including the likes of Faf du Plessis, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada and Proteas captain Aiden Markram. But opportunities might also be offered to some of the nation’s less travelled T20 players, provided they can get some game time during the two-month tournament.
The likes of Donovan Ferreira and 20-year-old Dewald Brevis, who have each earned two Proteas caps, will be eager to prove their worth in an attempt to secure places in the national squad ahead of the World Cup.
The tournament is also a massive opportunity for 17-year-old bowler Kwena Maphaka, who has been called up to the Mumbai Indians squad as a replacement for injured Sri Lankan player Dilshan Madushanka.
For all 15 SA players, however, whether they have World Cup ambitions or not, just securing a sought after spot in an IPL squad is an achievement in itself.
Among the 10 teams in the competition, the Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad will have the most South African representation, with three SA players in each squad.
The Kolkata Knight Riders and the Chennai Super Kings, meanwhile, are the only sides without any SA players.
The IPL tournament opens today with a match between defending champions Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Chennai. The final will be played on 26 May, just five days before the start of the T20 World Cup.