IPL 2022: 3 South African players who will want to make a mark in the tournament

The 15th edition of the IPL is expected to start on March 26. The 10 teams are set to play four games each at the Wankhede, DY Patil Stadium and three each at Brabourne and Pune.

South African players have historically been superstars in the league. The sheer brilliance of AB de Villiers, the ever-consistent Faf du Plessis and the impeccable pace bowling of Dale Steyn have won over many fans in the IPL.

Quinton de Kock, Imran Tahir and Kagiso Rabada have also established themselves as IPL regulars with their impactful performances over the years. Now a relatively newer bunch of players will be looking to take over the legacy of their predecessors. Let's take a look at three such players.

#3 Dewald Brewis

Also known as 'Baby AB', the South African batter announced himself to the world in the ICC Under-19 World Cup. Brevis was acquired by the Mumbai Indians for ₹3 crores at the IPL mega-auction earlier this month.

Brevis was the Player of the Tournament at the World Cup, setting the stage on fire with his mind-blowing performances. He has played 8 T20s for the Titans in South Africa's domestic T20 competition, scoring 202 runs in 8 innings at a strike rate of 133. He is also a handy part-time leg-spinner - picking up five wickets in eight games at an economy rate of less than 7.

Although he has shown a lot of promise in his career till now, Brevis will most likely not be a part of the starting XI. Mumbai have Kieron Pollard and Tim David as the experienced finishers in the five-time IPL winning team.

As an 18-year-old, Brevis can definitely learn a lot from some of the best in the business and go on to establish himself in T20 cricket across the globe.

#2 Marco Jansen

The left-arm fast bowling all-rounder bowled to Virat Kohli and Co. in the nets way back in India's tour of South Africa in 2018. He has played nine T20s and taken seven wickets at an economy rate of 7.75.

Jansen was signed by the Mumbai Indians in 2021 for 20 lakhs. He played two matches in the last season of the IPL. The South African impressed everyone on his debut, picking up the wickets of Glenn Maxwell and Shahbaz Ahmed.

At the IPL mega auction, Jansen was acquired by Sunrisers Hyderabad for ₹4.2 crores. The Mumbai Indians were the losing bidders at 4 crores, which shows that the South African was rated very highly by the IPL franchises.

It will effectively be a face-off between him and Romario Shepherd for the overseas pacer slot. Both players offer a batting option in the lower order as well, although Shepherd is the better batter and a more experienced T20 player. With Dale Steyn as the fast bowling coach of the Sunrisers, Jansen will surely have a great learning curve.

#1 Aiden Markram

Aiden Markram was sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for ₹2.6 crores at the mega-auction.

The right-handed South African has scored 1732 runs in 70 T20s at an average of 32 and a strike rate of 129. Markram made his IPL debut last season for the Punjab Kings, where he scored 146 runs in six innings with a top score of 42. The 27-year-old has shown immense potential in all three formats of the game.

Markram had a great time at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup last year. He scored 162 runs in 5 innings at an average of 54 and a strike rate of 146 - excellent numbers for a No. 4 batter in the UAE. His overall T20I career record is a promising one as well - 588 runs at an average of 39 and a strike rate of 147.

SRH spin bowling coach Muttiah Muralitharan has stated that captain Kane Williamson will open alongside youngster Abhishek Sharma. This means that Markam will most likely take up a middle-order role.