Durban’s Super Giants have secured the services of New Zealand’s Kane Williamson and England’s Chris Woakes for the upcoming SA20 season. Both players will be competing in the South African league for the first time.
Franchises in SA20 are allowed to sign new players until August 31, with the deadline for player retentions having been July 21. The SA20 2025 tournament is set to run from January 9 to February 8 next year. Last month, Kane Williamson confirmed his participation in the South African league after opting out of his central contract.
“There’s a number of great competitions on during that time, but SA20 looks really exciting. Unfortunately, it meant turning down a central contract, however my priority still is, absolutely, playing for New Zealand. Think I miss maybe a handful of games over a three-week period,” Williamson had said.
In addition to declining the central contract, Williamson had also stepped down as New Zealand’s white-ball captain. The right-handed batsman has ample experience playing franchise cricket and will be looking to hit the ground running in SA20.
Williamson has previously represented Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League and has also played for Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League.
Conversely, Woakes has seen his role diminish in England’s white-ball squads and will aim to make a significant impact in the SA20. The experienced allrounder has featured in the IPL, ILT20, and Big Bash League. Besides Woakes, England’s Joe Root has joined Paarl Royals, and Ben Stokes is also in the running to sign with MI Cape Town for the upcoming SA20 2025 season.
Durban’s Super Giants eye maiden title:
After signing up two big names in Kane Williamson and Chris Woakes, Durban’s Super Giants will be hoping to win their maiden SA20 title next year. In the last season, they qualified for the final but ended up losing the title decider against reigning champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
