3 reasons why SunRisers Eastern Cape can defend their SA20 title
The SunRisers Eastern Cape created history by becoming the first team to win the SA20 League title in its inaugural season in 2023.
They have a strong side on paper, consisting of players who have performed consistently for their respective franchises and countries over a prolonged period of time.
In the final of the previous edition, the SunRisers defeated Pretoria Capitals by four wickets but they will expect to come up against tougher challenges this season.
The quality of the players in their squad means that they will be well-equipped to deal with anything that is thrown their way. South African star Aiden Markram is slated to lead the side, as he did last season.
We look at three reasons why the SunRisers can successfully defend their SA20 title:
#1 Strong bowling attack
The SunRisers are among a few of the teams in the SA20 league who have a full-fledged bowling attack. The franchise have a lot of top bowlers in their ranks who can be expected to pick up wickets at regular intervals.
Despite T20 being touted as a batter's game, bowlers are needed to pick up wickets to put their team ahead of their opponents.
In this regard, the SunRisers have the likes of Brydon Carse, Simon Harmer and Oliver Baartman along with Marco Jansen and Liam Dawson. Such a strong bowling attack will ensure that they can retain their title.
#2 Depth in batting unit
The SunRisers have a lot of depth in their batting unit and this will go a long way in making sure that they are able to compete with the other teams in the league.
The likes of Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma and Dawid Malan are expected to get the team off to good starts. Meanwhile, Tristan Stubbs, Sarel Erwee and Marco Jansen are slated to play roles that will consolidate the openers.
With a strong batting unit that goes deep, there is going to be very little that will stop the SunRisers from retaining their SA20 title.
#3 Wealth of experience
The experience that the likes of Markram, Bavuma and Malan have will help the SunRisers a lot on the field. Although Markram is the designated captain, Bavuma is expected to contribute with inputs of his own.
Malan, who is an overseas professional, has a lot of experience having played in franchise leagues across the world, and he can bring that to good effect for the SunRisers here.
Markram is a captain who likes to involve the other senior players in his decision-making and it will be interesting to see how the others mentioned above contribute to the team's cause. Jansen is another player whom Markram can rely upon for trustworthy inputs.