5 steal buys from recently concluded SA20 auction

19th September 2022 will always be remembered as a historic day in South African cricket. After a lot of failed efforts in the past, the SA20 Commissioner Graeme Smith and all the other officials of Cricket South Africa have finally done everything right to organise the inaugural season of SA20 - South Africa's brand new T20 league. Six franchises from all over the country will be participating in the tournament as it is set to kick off in early 2023. The Indian Premier League fans are of course highly enthusiastic as many IPL franchises have their own teams in the inaugural tournament. Plenty of familiar faces were spotted at the SA20 auction and it turned out to be highly riveting. To the amusement of fans, they once again got the opportunity to witness mini battles among the familiar faces at the auction. Now, like every other auction, SA20 auction saw players bag plenty of bucks but there were some players who went overwhelmingly big. Sunrisers Eastern Cape went all out for Tristan Stubbs and bought him for a whopping Rand 9.2 million, making him the most expensive player at the auction. But at the same time franchises roped in some really invaluable names without paying a hefty pay cheque to them. Let’s dive straight into that - 5 players who were bought cheaply at the auction but can be explosive in the tournament 5. Jason Roy Form is temporary and class is permanent - that’s probably what Paarl Royals thought of while buying the explosive English batter in the auction. The 32-year-old kept his base price at R 850,000 and was sold for R 1.5 million, a cheap buy considering the damage he can cause. Now, it is true that Roy is not having a good time with the bat as an opener as he could score just 96 runs in his last nine T20 matches. It is because of his poor form, the England team decided not to pick him for the upcoming T20 World Cup and thus, SA20 will be the perfect platform for him to prove his class yet again. Roy has played 295 T20 matches across the globe and scored 7694 runs so far. With a strike rate of 142.34, the Englishman is known for his aggressive shots. He will be partnering his national teammate Jos Buttler at the top of the order. Now, if Buttler, his captain of the national team manages to give a good start, Roy will get some time to settle down. The pitches in South Africa will also suit a player like Roy. 4. Harry Brook Former U19 captain of the England team, Harry Brook was sold for R 2.10 million at the auction table. Joburg Super Kings had their eyes fixed on the youngster and finally signed him for the upcoming SA20 league. Now, considering the form and the talent that the 23-year-old possesses, he is being considered a cheap buy. Brook has proved himself in the domestic circuit. He has played 83 T20 matches in his career and scored 2125 runs. With a magnificent strike rate of 149.33, Brook averages 34.27 in T20 cricket. Thus, he can be the game changer for Super Kings as T20 cricket often demands explosive knocks from a middle-order batter. Stephen Fleming, the Head Coach of the side has groomed a lot of youngsters in the past. Interestingly, his (Brook's) performance will be closely monitored in the SA20 League as Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited (CSKCL), who have acquired the team based out of Johannesburg will be very interested in having a player worth his talent for an extended period. 3. Will Jacks Allrounder Will Jacks is considered a player for the future. Pretoria Capitals were quick enough to jump for the youngster as he was sold for just R 1.10 million. The 23-year-old is yet to make his international debut but with the kind of cricket he can play, Jacks will feature sooner than later in the England white-ball set-up. Jacks has played 100 T20 matches in his career and scored 2492 runs in the format. Being an opener, his strike rate of 154.30 is quite astounding but he is someone who fails to convert his starts. In SA20, he will have the opportunity to work with some of the best coaches in the world and that is exactly how he can improve his game and make a case for himself in front of his national selectors for a spot in the team. He’s got the talent and is known as a clean striker of the ball. He is a decent bowler as well and that will help him in breaking into the squad. He averages 7.19 with the ball and has picked up 23 wickets in 39 innings thus far. 2. Janneman Malan Even though the 26-year-old hasn’t played a lot of international cricket but Janneman Malan has become a popular name in the cricketing circuit. He was bought by Joburg Super Kings for R 2.7 million and it is being deemed as a cheap buy in the auction. Malan has played 67 T20 matches in his career and scored 1896 runs at a strike rate of 133.80. He averages 30.09 in the format and can be a match-winner for his side. He is not someone who is always in the spotlight but is known for doing his work quietly and helping his team win matches. JSK like CSK backed the philosophy of buying players who can create a difference despite not being a very popular name. The cricketing world is aware of the talent that Malan possesses, it is now time for Joburg to sharpen his skills and help him become a beast in T20 cricket. 1. Kusal Mendis Kusal Mendis going for just R 425,000 was the real shock of the day. He was purchased by Pretoria Capitals in the auction as no other team showed enough interest in the Sri Lankan international. After a good Asia Cup, he was thought to fetch some good money but that wasn’t the case. His strike rate of course has been an issue in T20 cricket but he is someone who can give his team a good start. The wicket-keeper batter averages 20.90 in T20Is while in domestic cricket, Mendis averages 28.46 and can bat with a strike rate of 135.24. He is very flexible and can bat anywhere in the top order. Mendis is technically very sound. He, however, isn’t very consistent and that is the problem he needs to sort out. Despite that, Mendis going for just R 425,000 can be considered one of the steals of the auction.

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5 steal buys from recently concluded SA20 auction

South Africa's young batting sensation Tristan Stubbs fetched the highest bid of Rand 9.2 million at the auction of the inaugural SA20.

1. Kusal Mendis

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