Player focus: Six of the best in the SA20 league

The third edition of the SA20 league gets underway on Thursday with the opening match between defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape and MI Cape Town in Gqeberha.

We take a closer look at key players from each of the six sides.

Marco Jansen (Sunrisers Eastern Cape)

A genuine all-rounder, Jansen is useful with both bat and ball and he could again play a crucial role as his team attempt to secure the trophy for the third successive season.

A strike bowler who can keep the opposition under pressure, Jansen flaunted his ability with the ball by taking 20 wickets in 10 matches in last year’s series, finishing as the highest wicket taker.

And while he is usually more useful with the ball, the 24-year-old Proteas star can be equally capable with the bat, offering runs down the order and keeping the tail afloat.

Heinrich Klaasen (Durban’s Super Giants)

The Super Giants batting line-up is perhaps the most formidable of all six teams in the league, with the likes of Quinton de Kock and New Zealander Kane Williamson giving them some real firepower.

They will look to Klaasen, however, to carry them if there is a top-order collapse, with the experienced middle-order batting having shown time and time again that he can resurrect an innings.

A big hitter who can pick up the run-rate, he will be eager to shine as brightly as he did last year when he made 447 runs in 13 innings.

Faf du Plessis (Joburg Super Kings)

At the age of 40, Du Plessis isn’t quite as agile in the field as he used to be, but the Super Kings captain has the experience and the ability to lead his team from the front.

When he hits his straps with the bat, he can put his team in a solid position and he remains one of the most destructive batters in the international game.

No longer available for the Proteas, he now travels the world as a T20 specialist, and he will hope to stand up and deliver on home soil.

Ryan Rickelton (MI Cape Town)

One of the most underrated players in international cricket, Rickelton showcased his impressive form with a double century in the second Test against Pakistan last week.

His team will hope he carries that form into the SA20 campaign, as he did last year when he completed the series as the top run scorer with 530 runs at an average of 58.88.

The top-order batter has grown into a well-balanced player who can hold up an end or pick up the run-rate, and his skills will be crucial if MI Cape Town are going to lift the trophy.

David Miller (Paarl Royals)

Much like Faf du Plessis, veteran batter Miller doesn’t instill as much fear in his opponents as he once did, but like Du Plessis he is still dangerous.

Carrying a wealth of experience, he has the composure to deliver when his team need him most, and if the top order collapses he offers similar value to Heinrich Klaasen.

As the captain of the Royals he also has the ability to lead from the front, and few batters in the global game can hit the ball as hard as Miller, which is always useful in the T20 format.

Will Jacks (Pretoria Capitals)

He’s not the most consistent player, but when Jacks is in form he’s unstoppable, particularly in the T20 format.

Last year the 26-year-old England international hit centuries in the SA20, the Bangladesh Premier League and the Indian Premier League in the space of three months, and he boasts a strike rate of 157.62 in the 191 T20 matches he has played.

In addition, he offers real value as a useful spin bowler, and while he hasn’t been in his best form of late, if he hits his straps he will be confident of helping the Capitals reach the playoffs.