WITH the new domestic structure in South African cricket on the horizon, the first competition has been finalised and the Hollywoodbets Dolphins were drawn to compete in Pool C while the Hollywoodbets Tuskers will play in Pool B in the CSA T20 Knock-Out Competition.
The competition features all of the division one and division two teams that have been split across four pools. The Dolphins were drawn in a group with Easterns, North West as well as the South African U19 side.
For the newly formed Tuskers, that represent KZN inland, they will fight it out with Mpumalanga, the Itec Knights and the Momentum Multiply Titans.
The Tuskers will face off against these three sides in the group from September, 28 to September, 30 in Bloemfontein. The group stages of the competition for the Dolphins will take place from October, 8 to October 10 in Bloemfontein. The top two teams from each pool will compete in the quarter-final.
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The Hollywoodbets Dolphins coach, Imraan Khan, is excited that cricket will soon return as players ramp up their pre-season preparation
“We’ve been putting in a lot of hard work during this off-season and pre-season and are really keen to get back out on the park,” Khan said. “To be drawn in a group with Easterns, North West and the SA U19 team is exciting and it’s going to be a difficult group to qualify from. To finally see the upcoming season start to take shape is a great thing for us and we cannot wait to get going.”
The Dolphins lost in the final of the Betway T20 Challenge last season. This year the competition will include the division two side as well as the national U19 side.
“We know that T20 cricket can change quickly, so every team is going to be dangerous,” Khan commented. “It’s crucial that we put together strong performances across all of the group games because you can come unstuck quite easily in T20 cricket.”
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Tuskers coach, Michael Smith said he knows how difficult the last period was for cricketers around the country and is eager for his side to show the country what they can offer.
“The Tuskers are extremely excited for the upcoming campaign,” Smith said. “First and foremost, ahead of any competition we are going to play, the guys are just really keen to get back and play some cricket.”
The CEO of KZN Cricket, Heinrich Strydom, echoed the sentiments of both coaches as he hopes to help guide the union into the new era of domestic cricket.
“The team and the coaching staff are itching to get going and they’re excited to head into this new structure of domestic cricket in South Africa,” Strydom said.
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