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SA20 2025 is all set to kickstart on Thursday, January 9, and will be played until February 8 across six venues in South Africa. The Sunrisers Eastern Cape would look to secure a hat-trick of titles, as they have emerged champions in the first two seasons.
Among the players participating in the SA20 2025, few of them received mouth-watering contracts in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction as well. The South Africa-based league will serve as a precursor to the IPL 2025, which will begin on March 14.
The likes of Kagiso Rabada, David Miller, Faf du Plessis, Trent Boult, and Devon Conway are some experienced players who were recipients of the IPL 2025 contracts and will also feature in the SA20.
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However, let's take a look at some lesser-known players who make for an interesting watch in SA20 2025 ahead of their IPL 2025 stint.
#1 Noor Ahmad
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) splurged ₹10 crore to secure the services of Afghanistan mystery spinner, Noor Ahmad in the IPL 2025 auction. Meanwhile, Ahmad is slated to play for the Durban's Super Giants in the SA20 2025.
The 20-year-old is slowly rising in stature in the T20 format, where he has scalped 137 wickets in 122 games. The last SA20 season saw him pick up 12 wickets in six games for the eventual runner-up Super Giants.
He was also adjudged Player of the Series in CPL 2024 with 22 wickets, as his side the Guyana Amazon Warriors reached the final.
Noor Ahmad represented the Gujarat Titans in the last two seasons and grabbed 24 wickets in 23 appearances. Due to consistency in the last few years, Ahmad received a fat IPL contract and will be one of the most interesting players to watch out for in SA20.
#2 Marco Jansen
The tall all-rounder from South Africa, Marco Jansen has impressed the cricket fraternity with his impressive performances, especially in the red-ball format. He recently finished with sensational figures of 7/13 to bundle out Sri Lanka for 46.
The 24-year-old has also done well in the T20 format, picking up 93 wickets and scoring 703 runs in 86 games. Jansen slammed 54 off 17, including five towering sixes, against India to show his batting credentials. As a result, he got a handsome contract of ₹7 crore from the Punjab Kings at the IPL 2025 auction.
In 22 SA20 games, Jansen has scalped 28 wickets with best figures of 5/30, while also scoring 282 runs.
#3 Kwena Maphaka
The 18-year-old sensation Kwena Maphaka hogged the limelight after emerging as the highest wicket-taker in the 2024 U19 World Cup with 21 scalps in seven games. He rushed batters with his pace and toe-crushing yorkers. The left-arm pacer was then named as an injury replacement for Dilshan Madushanka in the Mumbai Indians squad in IPL 2024.
However, Maphaka was taken to the cleaners as he went on to concede 66 runs off four overs against the SunRisers Hyderabad. He played a total of two games and picked up a solitary wicket.
However, after emerging as the second-highest wicket-taker in the CSA T20 Challenge 2024 with 13 wickets in October, Kwena Maphaka received a ₹1.5 crore contract from the Rajasthan Royals in the following month.
It will be interesting to see how Maphaka fares in his debut SA20 campaign for the Paarl Royals.
#4 Will Jacks
The standout top-order batter from England, Will Jacks holds a credible experience in the shortest format. In 191 T20s, he has amassed 4,847 runs at a strike rate of 157.62, with four centuries.
Jacks rose to prominence in the IPL 2024, where he hit a sensational hundred off 41 balls for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru to seal a nine-wicket victory over the Gujarat Titans.
Although Jacks couldn't find retention from RCB, he was purchased by the Mumbai Indians for ₹5.25 crore in the IPL 2025 auction.
In 17 SA20 appearances for the Pretoria Capitals, Will Jacks has garnered 515 runs at a strike rate of 190.74. He will continue to play for the Capitals in the SA20 2025 as well.
#5 Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Rahmanullah Gurbaz is now counted among one of the finest keeper-batters in T20s due to his ability to give fiery starts to his side consistently. The right-hander was the top-scorer in the 2024 T20 World Cup with 281 runs in eight innings and played a huge role in taking Afghanistan to the semi-finals.
In terms of his IPL record, Gurbaz has garnered 289 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 133.79, with two half-centuries for the Kolkata Knight Riders. The franchise picked him at his base price of ₹2 crore in the IPL 2025 auction as well.
One of Pretoria Capitals' pre-signings, Gurbaz will be looked upon as a crucial run-scorer for the side in SA20 2025.
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