17 Dolphins snapped up in T20 Global League draft

WITH the buzz of the upcoming T20 Global League starting to grip the country, the unique player draft took place on Sunday in Cape Town where no less than 17 Dolphins players were snapped up by the city-based franchises.

The tournament will take place throughout the November and into December with the eight franchises secured by the highest bidders, and for a number of Dolphins stars they will have to call cities around the country home for the tournament.

The Pretoria-based Mavericks took a liking to our local stars, with six players making the trip to the Highveld to play under AB de Villiers and Dwayne Bravo for the action-packed T20 tournament. Dolphins players have been contracted to six of the seven other T20 Global League franchises.

“This entire competition is a huge opportunity for South African cricket with our players getting the chance to rub shoulders with some of the best cricketers in the game,” Dolphins coach Grant Morgan said.

“It is incredibly exciting to see some of our younger players getting the opportunity to be involved in a big tournament like this.”

With the domestic season coming to a halt during the T20 Global League, Morgan understands that the season could become a long one for the players taking part which opens up opportunities for other players to stake a claim in the Dolphins mix.

“With guys like Rob (Frylinck) being involved in the Caribbean Premier League already and then the Global T20 tournament there will be chances, especially in our fast bowling department, for players to step up.

“A competition like this will test the depth of our squad and we will have to manage the players properly before and after the tournament,” Morgan added.

With the new domestic season set to start in three weeks’ time, Morgan’s focus will have to be keeping his players focused on their opening Sunfoil Series fixture starting on September 19.

“There is obvious excitement surrounding the whole tournament and we are looking forward to seeing our players involved, however we still have domestic season to play in.

“Making sure that we don’t get side-tracked by the tournament and the side-shows will be important and we could make that work to our advantage.

“If we are more focused than the other franchises at the start of our season then we can make some early in-roads on the fourday log,” Morgan commented.

Chief executive officer of the KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union Heinrich Strydom was present at the draft on Sunday and is satisfied by the number of representatives KZNCU has in the tournament.

“It is a proud moment for us having so many players selected for the various franchises,” Strydom said.

“The draft was an incredible event and the league promises to have a massive impact on the cricketing landscape in South Africa.

“This tournament has the potential to grow the game, and with some of our younger players having the opportunity to learn from some of the best in the world it can only be positive for us.

“We would like to congratulate Cricket South Africa and Mr Haroon Lorgat on a successful draft process and the KwaZuluNatal Cricket Union is grateful to be playing a part in this the inaugural T20 Global League,” president of the KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union Fa-eez Jaffer commented.

The Durban-based Qalandars will cal Kingsmead home during the tournament and they have signed four Dolphins stars Prenelan Subrayen, Daryn Dupavillon, Mthokozisi Shezi and Cody Chetty. – Gameplan Media