SA20 is a T20 franchise league in South Africa organized by the Cricket South Africa. The inaugural tournament was held in 2023 and contested by 6 teams from different cities around the country. In this first edition of the tournament, the Sunrisers Eastern Cape won the title beating Pretoria Capitals by 4 wickets in the final. In this article, we will have a look at the top ten bowlers in the first edition of this franchise tournament.
1. Ottniel Baartman
This South African bowler represented the champions, Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the inaugural season of the tournament. In the 6 innings he played, this right-arm medium-fast bowler scalped 12 wickets. His best bowling figure of 3/45 in 4 overs came against the Mumbai Indians Cape Town in a winning cause. In the final too, he was quite impressive as he leaked just 22 runs in his 3 overs spell and got two important wickets.
2. Evan Jones
Evan Jones is a right-arm medium-fast bowler who represented the Paarl Royals in the inaugural season of the SA20 league. This Pretoria-born batting all-rounder played in 9 innings in this franchise tournament and collected a total of 13 wickets. His best performance came against the Durban Super Giants in a winning cause, in which he bowled a beautiful spell of 4 overs, conceding just 32 runs and taking 4 wickets. This performance helped his team restrict the Durban Super Giants to 159/8 and hence win the match by 10 runs.
3. Sisanda Magala
Another impressive South African bowler who played for the Champions was Sisanda Magala. In the 11 matches he played for the franchise, he performed consistently in all of them, claiming a total of 14 wickets. His best bowling figure of 2/22 in 4 overs came against the MICT which helped his team restrict the opposition to just 158 runs in their quota of 20 overs. In the final of the tournament, he bowled 3 overs and scalped 2 important wickets. He ranks 8th in this list.
4. Adil Rashid
Adil Rashid is one of the best spinners in the shortest format of the game. In the SA20 tournament, he played for the runners-up Pretoria Capitals. In this tournament too, this Englishman’s performance was up to the mark as he scalped 13 wickets in the 9 innings he played. His best bowling figure of 2/15 (3 overs) came against the Paarl Royals in the first semi-final of the tournament. His consistent performance helped his team reach the final in their inaugural season. In the final too, he was quite impressive as he conceded just 13 runs in his quota of 4 overs and got one wicket as well. However, his team failed to lift the trophy.
5. Bjorn Fortuin
Fortuin is a slow left-arm orthodox bowler from South Africa. He represented his hometown Paarl in the inaugural season of the SA20 league. He had been quite impressive throughout the tournament. In the 10 innings he played, he scalped 14 wickets, with a best bowling figure of 3/14. His bowling average was 18.21 and economy 6.46.
6. Jimmy Neesham
This right-arm medium-fast bowler from New Zealand represented the Pretoria Capitals in the inaugural season of the SA20 league. He had been quite impressive with the bat as well as with the ball. In the 12 matches he played for his franchise, he claimed a total of 14 wickets, with a bowling average of 17.93 and an economy of 8.27. His best bowling figure came against the Johannesburg Super Kings in which he bowled 3 overs, conceded just 7 runs and got the important wickets of Faf, Gregory and Romario Shepherd. His magical spell helped his team emerge victorious in this match and he was adjudged the Man of the Match for his breathtaking spell. However, he could not take his team over the finishing line in the final as they ended the tournament as the runners-up.
7. Eathan Bosch
Another uncapped South African bowler who has impressed in the inaugural season of this franchise league is Eathan Bosch. This right-arm fast bowler also played for the Pretoria Capitals and claimed a total of 15 wickets in the 12 innings he played for his team. He had a bowling average of 21.40, an economy of 8.03 and best bowling figure of 3/12.
8. Gerald Coetzee
Another emerging bowler from South Africa is the right-arm fast bowler, Gerald Coetzee. This 22 year-old bowler played for the Johannesburg Super Kings in the inaugural tournament and had been quite impressive. In the 9 innings he played this season, he got a total of 17 wickets, with a bowling average of 13.53 and an economy of 8.07. His best bowling figure of 4/24 came against the Sunrisers Eastern Cape, which helped his team win the match. However, he was very poor against the same opposition in the semi-final which ultimately cost his team a place in the final.
9. Anrich Nortje
Nortje is a right-arm fast bowler who has played for his national team in all the three formats of the game. In the inaugural season of the SA20 league, he played for the Pretoria Capitals. He was the best player of the team’s bowling department. A consistent performer, Nortje scalped 20 wickets in 11 innings this season. He had an impressive bowling average of 13.20, a good economy of 6.16 and best bowling figure of 3/12. In the final too, he was quite impressive as he conceded just 21 runs in his 4 overs and scalped 2 wickets. However, his team fell short and they finished as runners-up.
10. Roelof van der Merwe
van der Merwe is a slow left-arm orthodox bowler born in South Africa. However, at international level, he has represented both the Proteas as well as the Netherlands. He was the most impressive bowler in the recently concluded SA20 league. He played just 9 innings for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape and claimed 20 wickets. His best bowling figure included a 6-wicket haul against the Durban Super Giants, conceding just 20 runs in his four overs. This wonderful spell helped his team bundle out the opposition for a low score of just 86 runs. He also performed brilliantly in the final, claiming 4 wickets and conceding 31 runs in his quota of 4 overs. He was adjudged the Man of the Match in the final as he helped his team win the trophy in the inaugural season.
