In a surprising development, the Durban Super Giants, the sister franchise of the Lucknow Super Giants, have announced Keshav Maharaj as their new captain for the upcoming second edition of the SA20 tournament. Previously, Quinton de Kock led the Super Giants in the first edition but failed to deliver satisfactory results, finishing in fifth place on the points table and missing out on the playoffs.
The Durban franchise took to social media to make the announcement, signaling their faith in Maharaj’s leadership abilities. Although Maharaj’s T20I career statistics for South Africa may not be outstanding, with 25 matches, 69 runs, and 22 wickets at an average of 27.5 and an economy rate of 7.22, he has shown promise as a leader in the limited opportunities he has had to captain the national team.
This decision to appoint Maharaj as captain might allow Quinton de Kock to play with more freedom, as leadership responsibilities don’t come naturally to him.
De Kock had an impressive performance in the 2023 SA20, emerging as the fifth-leading run-scorer with 271 runs in 10 matches, averaging 30.11 and boasting a remarkable strike rate of 151.39.
During the previous SA20 campaign, Heinrich Klaasen played a significant role for the Durban Super Giants, finishing as the fourth-highest run-getter with a total of 363 runs in 10 matches and a strike rate of approximately 165.
Durban, presenting your new skipper! 💙 pic.twitter.com/3VC3QhoXer
— Durban's Super Giants (@DurbansSG) July 14, 2023
With the new leadership in place and the impressive performances of key players like de Kock and Klaasen, the Durban Super Giants will be eager to make a stronger impact in the second edition of the SA20 tournament and improve upon their previous season’s performance.
