Mitchell Marsh arrives at Sunrisers, Sam Curran moves to Durban Super Giants for SA20 Season 5

Australia captain Mitchell Marsh will make his SA20 debut for Sunrisers Eastern Cape, while Sam Curran has joined Durban's Super Giants ahead of the Season 5 auction. Joe Root, Phil Salt and Matt Short are among other marquee additions across the six franchises., Telangana Today

Johannesburg: Australia’s T20 skipper Mitchell Marsh is set to make his SA20 debut for the three-time champions, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, while England all-rounder Sam Curran will don the Durban’s Super Giants jersey after moving from MI Cape Town, as the six SA20 franchises secured their core squads ahead of the Season 5 auction on October 7.

Marsh will join Quinton de Kock, Matthew Breetzke, Jordan Hermann and captain Tristan Stubbs in a strong batting line-up at Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC), while Curran, who represented MI Cape Town in the first two seasons, will team up with his England teammate Jos Buttler.

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Joe Root, who returned as England’s Test captain and formed a formidable opening partnership with young Lhuan-dre Pretorius for the Paarl Royals a couple of seasons ago, will return to the familiar surroundings of Boland Park for the upcoming season of the T20 tournament.

Runners-up Pretoria Capitals have received a major boost to their top order with the additions of Phil Salt and Australian international Matt Short.

Salt, who previously represented the Capitals, will reunite with Short at the top of the order. The duo is expected to add more firepower to a batting line-up featuring Dewald Brevis, Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell and last season’s breakout star, Connor Esterhuizen.

England all-rounder Will Jacks, who had three fruitful seasons with the Capitals, has moved to MI Cape Town to complete the trio of MI franchises, having previously represented the Mumbai Indians in the IPL and currently playing for the MI London setup in The Hundred.

Meanwhile, Durban’s Super Giants and Paarl Royals are the only two teams to have completed their 19-player squads before the auction, with 19 slots still available across the remaining four teams.

SA20 League Commissioner and former Proteas skipper Graeme Smith said the SA20’s ability to attract leading stars such as Marsh, Curran and Salt was a sign of the growing stature of the league.

“Season 5 is shaping up to be our strongest yet. Bringing in a player of Mitchell Marsh’s calibre alongside the class of Joe Root, Sam Curran and Phil Salt shows the growing pull of our league on the global stage,” said Smith.

“What excites me most is seeing that quality alongside South Africa’s international and domestic stars at the peak of their powers,” he added.

“The franchises head into the auction with the majority of their squads already locked in, which speaks volumes about the stability and consistency we have built. This sets us up for a highly competitive Season 5.”

Major League Cricket-winning skipper Jason Holder will don the Joburg Super Kings jersey. Super Kings are looking for a new captain after parting ways with Faf du Plessis, who led the side for the first four seasons.

Among the other prominent players released is England wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow, who formed a formidable opening partnership with De Kock for the Sunrisers.

MI Cape Town have also parted ways with long-serving players Trent Boult, Rassie van der Dussen and Kieron Pollard, while Wiaan Mulder and Nandre Burger, who were marquee signings for the Super Kings, will also enter the auction pool.

SA20 Season 5 will get underway on January 17 next year, with the Sunrisers taking on the Capitals in a repeat of last season’s final. The final is scheduled for February 21 at Newlands.Mitchell Marsh joins Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Sam Curran signs for Durban’s Super Giants ahead of SA20 Season 5 auction.