JOHANNESBURG - Rashid Khan will lead MI Cape Town in the inaugural edition of the SA20 that kicks off at Newlands on January 10.
The Afghanistan leg-spinner was appointed on Friday and will spin the coin in the opening game against Paarl Royals.
Rashid, 24, is a global T20 franchise superstar, with experience of playing in all the major leagues, including the Indian Premier League, Australia’s Big Bash and the Pakistan Super League.
He will lead an MI Cape Town side that is brimming with both local and overseas talent, with England fast bowler Jofra Archer recently joining the Cape Town-based team as a wildcard pick.
Archer is set to form a potent MI Cape Town new-ball pairing with Proteas star Kagiso Rabada. The duo will be supported by T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament Sam Curran and hometown hero Beuran Hendricks.
The MI Cape Town batting unit is blessed with an equal amount of firepower that is led by South African teenage prodigy Dewald Brevis. The 19-year-old recently struck a record-breaking 162 off just 57 balls in the Cricket SA T20 Challenge.
This man. This magic. Our skipper Rashid. 💙 pic.twitter.com/8rJVuQxcEa
— MI Cape Town (@MICapeTown) December 2, 2022
He will have support from the experienced Rassie van der Dussen and England’s big-hitting Liam Livingstone, while Wesley Marshall and Grant Roelofsen will also be keen to show their worth.
Rashid’s appointment was part of a broader Mumbai Indians announcement with West Indian T20 legend Kieron Pollard set to lead MI Emirates in the ILT20 that is set to be staged in the UAE over the same period as SA20.
"We have an amazing mix of talent, experience, and passion in both our captains," Akash Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm, which owns the three teams, said in a statement.
"I'm convinced that Polly and Rashid will take forward the MI ethos and MI brand of cricket. Both will work with our excellent coaching teams to infuse the MI spirit in MI Emirates and MI Cape Town and win the hearts of cricket fans in UAE and South Africa."
@ZaahierAdams