Sunrisers Eastern Cape Retain Key Players for SA20 Season 3

Aiden Markram will captain Sunrisers Eastern Cape in Season 3 of Betway SA20 as they aim for a third consecutive title. The squad retains key players like Ottniel Baartman, Marco Jansen & Tristan Stubbs, bolstered by international talents such as Zak Crawley and Craig Overton.

Aiden Markram will lead the Sunrisers Eastern Cape's bid for an unprecedented Betway SA20 hat-trick of championship titles after he headlined the list of retained players for Season 3 on Wednesday. Markram, who lifted the Betway SA20 trophy last season, has guided his team with skill and tactical awareness. His experience has translated internationally, becoming the first South African senior captain to lead the Proteas Men's team to a World Cup final at the recent ICC Men's T20 World Cup in the US and Caribbean, according to an SA20 release.

Markram has been influential with the bat, scoring 627 runs in 21 innings, averaging 33 at a strike rate of 132, ranking him fourth on the all-time Betway SA20 run-scorers list. He shone particularly in Season 1, amassing 366 runs, including a century in the semi-finals against Joburg Super Kings. His overall contributions earned him the Betway SA20 Player of Season 1 award. The Sunrisers have retained the core of their back-to-back championship-winning squad for Season 3, including the formidable seam-bowling duo of Ottniel Baartman and Marco Jansen.

Baartman, the top wicket-taker in the competition's history, and Jansen, the leading wicket-taker of Season 2, have been pivotal. All-rounder Tristan Stubbs, who cost a record R9.2 million in the auction, finished as the Sunrisers' top run-scorer in Season 2 and has also been retained. Englishman Tom Abell, the Player of the Final in Season 2, and promising young batter Jordan Hermann, who scored a century at Newlands last season, are part of the squad. The Sunrisers also retain all-rounders Patrick Kruger and Beyers Swanepoel, along with spinners Simon Harmer, Liam Dawson, and Caleb Seleka.

Last season's Rookie Andile Simelane is incorporated into the squad for Season 3. The team confirmed retentions before the 31 July deadline, including four new signings: Roelof van der Merwe, Zak Crawley, Craig Overton, and Proteas batter David Bedingham as their Wildcard. They have until 15 August to announce any new overseas players, with two slots left for the 2024 player auction, where they will also draft a new rookie.