SA20: Mitch Marsh joins SEC, Sam Curran returns as franchises finalise pre-auction squads

Johannesburg [South Africa], August 5 : The milestone fifth season of the SA20 is set to get bigger and better, with T20 superstars Mitchell Marsh, Joe Root, Sam Curran, Jason Holder and Phil Salt joining the fold as the six franchises confirmed their pre-auction retentions and signings ahead of the new edition.
Durban's Super Giants and Paarl Royals are the only two teams to have completed their 19-player squads before the auction, with 19 slots still available across the remaining four teams, as per a press release from SA20.
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Mitchell Marsh, Australia's T20 captain and part of the Leeds side in the Sunrisers universe in The Hundred, is in line to make his SA20 debut for the three-time champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape. Marsh will join the likes of Quinton de Kock, Matthew Breetzke, Jordan Hermann and captain Tristan Stubbs in a powerful batting line-up, set to enthral the loyal St George's Park crowd.

Further north, Sam Curran, who represented MI Cape Town in the first two seasons, will don the Durban's Super Giants colours, where he will team up with his England teammate Jos Buttler. Joe Root, England's returning Test captain, who formed a formidable opening partnership with young Lhuan-dre Pretorius for the Paarl Royals a couple of seasons ago, returns to Boland Park for another season in pink.

The runners-up, Pretoria Capitals, have received a significant boost to their top order with the additions of Phil Salt and Australian international Matt Short. Salt, who has represented the Capitals previously, will reunite with Short at the top of the order, with the pair currently opening together for Welsh Fire in The Hundred.
The duo adds further firepower to a batting line-up featuring Dewald Brevis, Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell and last season's breakout star Connor Esterhuizen. England all-rounder Will Jacks, who enjoyed three sensational seasons with the Capitals, has moved down south to Cape Town to complete the trio of MI franchises, being part of the Mumbai Indians in the IPL and currently playing for the MI London setup in The Hundred.

"Season 5 is shaping up to be our strongest yet," SA20 League Commissioner Graeme Smith said. "Bringing in a player of Mitchell Marsh's calibre alongside the class of Joe Root, Sam Curran and Phil Salt shows the growing pull of our league on the global stage. What excites me most is seeing that quality alongside South Africa's international and domestic stars at the peak of their powers," as per the release.

"The franchises head into the auction with the majority of their squads already locked in, which speaks volumes about the stability and consistency we have built. This sets us up for a highly competitive Season 5," Smith concluded, as per the release.

On the other hand, Major League Cricket (MLC) winning captain Jason Holder will don the yellow of the Joburg Super Kings, who are on the hunt for a new captain after parting ways with Faf du Plessis, who led the side in its first four seasons. Among the other prominent releases is England wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow, who formed a formidable opening partnership with Quinton de Kock for the Sunrisers.
MI Cape Town have also parted ways with long-serving players Trent Boult, Rassie van der Dussen and Kieron Pollard, while the likes of Wiaan Mulder and Nandre Burger, who were marquee signings for the Super Kings, will also enter the auction pool.

The Super Kings and MI Cape Town will be the busiest teams at the auction, needing to sign seven and six players respectively, while the Capitals have five vacant slots to fill. All six teams have filled their overseas pre-signing slots, while the Super Kings will be eligible for a wildcard pick.

Season 5 of the SA20 gets underway on Sunday, January 17, at St George's Park, with the Sunrisers taking on the Capitals in a repeat of last season's final. The competition culminates with the Final at Newlands on Sunday, February 21.