Superstars up for grabs in weekend’s draft for SA’s T20 Global League

The eagerly-awaited South African T20 Global League draft takes place in Cape Town on Saturday and Sunday with more than 100 players set to be snapped up by the tournament’s eight teams.

Some of the big name international players who will be available to be bought by the franchises are Dwayne Bravo‚ Chris Gayle‚ Lasith Malinga‚ Brendon McCullum‚ Eoin Morgan and Kevin Pietersen.

They will join local marquee players Hashim Amla (Durban Qalandars)‚ Quinton de Kock (Benoni Zalmi)‚ AB de Villiers (Pretoria Mavericks)‚ Faf du Plessis (Stellenbosch Monarchs)‚ JP Duminy (Cape Town Knight Riders)‚ David Miller (Bloem City Blazers)‚ Kagiso Rabada (Joburg Giants) and Imran Tahir (Nelson Mandela Bay Stars).

“The player draft is a major step forward for the T20 Global League and the anticipation among players‚ coaches and owners is now clearly visible‚” said CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat.

“The huge interest from players around the world has been phenomenal and the calibre of players in the draft will make squad selections one for the fans to follow.

"Fans both here and around the world will be able to join in the excitement as they see the franchises sign up some of the world’s best.”

Each franchise is allowed to have five international players in their 18-man squad and South African players who are currently on Kolpak deals will be considered international players.

Ten South African Kolpak players who were shortlisted this week are Cameron Delport‚ Richard Levi‚ Colin Ingram‚ Stiaan van Zyl‚ Dane Vilas‚ Colin Ackermann‚ Simon Harmer‚ David Wiese‚ Marchant de Lange and Hardus Viljoen.

Noticeable omissions from the list are Hampshire duo of Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw and there is speculation that neither player put forward an expression of interest to be a part of the tournament.

“Gayle‚ McCullum‚ Ahmed Shehzad‚ Alex Hales‚ Levi and Du Plessis are among players who have scored T20 international centuries.

The T20 Global League is now ready for take-off‚” added Lorgat.

- TimesLIVE