Picking a combined Paarl Royals and Joburg Super Kings playing 11 for SA20 2024 ft. Faf du Plessis and David Miller
The first week of the ongoing SA20 2024 has already been completed and the fans have witnessed some serious action across seven days.
Keshav Maharaj's Durban Super Giants (DSG) have topped the charts so far with three out of three wins. Pretoria Capitals (PC), meanwhile, have remained winless after a couple of games.
A battle between Paarl Royals (PR) and Joburg Super Kings (JSK) will kick off the second week of the tournament. Both teams have stacked up a strong roster for the season and will needing a win to strengthen their standing on the points table.
With two out of two wins, Paarl are sitting comfortably on the second spot with eight points and a positive net run rate of 0.925. Joburg, meanwhile, saw their opening game get washed out. However, Du Plessis and Co. have underperformed massively in two games and are fifth on the table with two points at a net run rate of -3.375.
Ahead of the upcoming clash at the Boland Park, let's pick a combined playing 11 comprising players from the two sides, featuring Faf Du Plessis, David Miller and more.
Openers: Faf du Plessis (C) and Jos Buttler (WK)
The experienced combination of Faf du Plessis and Jos Buttler will lead the batting group of this side and will open the innings together. Du Plessis, who skippers JSK, will also be the captain of this imaginary side's XI while Buttler will be the designated wicket-keeper.
Du Plessis has struggled in the ongoing tournament, scoring 6 and 7 in two games. However, he is one of South Africa's all-time greatest white-ball players and even had a splendid SA20 2023.
In fact, Du Plessis and Buttler were the top two highest run-getters in the inaugural edition. While Du Plessis scored 369 runs at 41.00, Buttler smoked 391 runs at 39.10. The Englishman has scored 53 in the two innings so far.
Middle-order: Reeza Hendricks, Mitchell Van Buuren, David Miller
The middle-order of this team includes Reeza Hendricks, Mitchell Van Buuren and David Miller. While Hendricks plays for JSK, Van Buuren and Miller are part of the Royals.
A class player with a sound technique and habit of scoring runs consistently, Hendricks has scored over 5,500 runs in 178 T20 innings. Just like most of the Joburg players, he has also underperformed so far, having mustered only 38 runs in two innings.
Batting at No. 4 and No. 5 will be Mitchell Van Buuren and David Miller. Both the Royals' players have been stupendous thus far and have even been involved in two big partnerships of 61 and 141*.
The two have been relentlessness in their approach and have been the backbone of PR's batting this season. While Van Buuren has scored 100 runs, Miller has racked up 116 runs. Both have dismissed only once thus far in SA20 2024.
All-rounders: Moeen Ali, Andile Phehlukwayo, Romario Shepherd
The combined playing XI will feature Moeen Ali, Andile Phehlukwayo, and Romario Shepherd as the three premier all-rounders. All three can strike the ball long and can even sneak in a few overs in every game.
Ali and Shepherd have played every game for the Joburg Kings this season. Although Ali is not in the best of his form of late, he has a lot to offer and can be a great utility player. Shepherd, meanwhile, was released ahead of the auction and then re-signed.
Both JSK players have combined experience of playing over 400 T20 matches over their careers.
Andile Phehlukwayo represents Paarl Royals and was with the franchise last year as well. Having played a total of five games for PR, Phehlukwayo has scored 49 runs and has taken eight wickets at a superb economy rate of 7.94.
Bowlers: Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi and Tabraiz Shamsi
Nandre Burger is easily one of the most exciting young pacers going around in world cricket at the moment. With his express pace and seam movement, Burger has caused havoc against several opponents already.
He has already taken 17 wickets for South Africa after featuring in only six international games. As a result of his impressive performances for the nation side and in domestic circuit, IPL team Rajasthan Royals (RR) snapped up his services at the IPL 2024 mini-auction.
Lungi Ngidi is currently the joint-highest wicket-taker with five wickets at an immaculate bowling strike rate of 9.60 across two SA20 2024 games. He recently took a match-winning 4/39 to help PR beat Pretoria Capitals in Centurion.
Ngidi's hit-the-deck deliveries at Boland Park can be tough to negotiate for any batter and the 27-year-old will be looking to continue his red-hot form.
At No. 11 is one of the best modern-day spinners to play for South Africa in Tabraiz Shamsi. When there's even the slightest suggestion of slowness on the pitch, his left-arm chinaman can be very dangerous and constantly puts batters off track.
Having played 234 T20s in his career, Shamsi has scalped 270 wickets at a great strike rate of 18.10 including seven four-wicket hauls and a fifer.
Combined PR and JSK playing 11 for SA20 2024: Faf du Plessis (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Mitchell Van Buuren, David Miller, Moeen Ali, Andile Phehlukwayo, Romario Shepherd, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi and Tabraiz Shamsi.