Reports: MI Cape Town to land Ben Stokes for SA20 2025

England red-ball captain Ben Stokes is set to sign for MI Cape Town ahead of the third edition of the SA20 2025. As per reports, the franchise has offered £800,000 to the all-rounder, who is expected to pen the deal soon. Notably, Cape Town is filled with star cricketers, as Kieron Pollard, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada and Jofra Archer have represented them in the last couple of years. 

Despite having a star-studded team, they finished at the bottom of the points table in 2024 and the franchise are recruiting talents to change the scenario this time around. It is believed that getting Stokes on board is the first of many as they aim to win the title in the coming year. Meanwhile, the new deal also strengthened Stokes’ position as he is in talks with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) about his new central contract.

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As per The Telegraph, ECB offered a multi-year contract to Stokes in 2023 but the all-rounder turned it down and signed a one-year deal instead. England’s managing director Rob Key expected him to sign a massive deal in 2024 but that might not happen if the 33-year-old aims to focus on franchise cricket going forward.

However, Stokes has made it crystal clear multiple times in the last one month that he is eyeing to win the urn in Ashes 2025 in Australia. It shows that there’s no concern about his international career, but he may not make cameos in ODIs and T20Is like he did before. With him signing for Cape Town, it also guarantees that the cricketer won’t be travelling to India for a five-match T20I series next year.

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Stokes also signed for Northern Superchargers for the upcoming The Hundred. He will join the squad after the three-match Test series against West Indies as the tournament is set to begin on July 23. After that, he will gear up for the Test series against Sri Lanka.