MI Cape Town set to appoint Mark Boucher as head coach ahead of inaugural SA20 - Reports 

Mark Boucher is set to continue his coaching career with the newfound MI Cape Town franchise at the upcoming inaugural SA20. The former wicket-keeper will reportedly quit his current position as head coach of the South African national team after the 2022 T20 World Cup.

His involvement with the franchise is imminent as he is set to be one of the representatives for the franchise at the SA20 auction. Over 300 players have registered themselves for the auction, with all six franchises having already forged a core group of players.

Boucher has previously coached the Titans to two One Day Cups, two T20 Challenge titles, and a four-day Sunfoil Series trophy after being appointed as head coach in 2016.

He was also involved with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as a wicket-keeping consultant in May 2016 the same year his former teammate Jacques Kallis served as head coach. He left after a season.

The former wicket-keeper was appointed as South Africa's head coach in 2019 and announced his departure from the role following a 1-2 series loss against England. His decision to relinquish the role came as a surprise to the management and players alike. Cricket South Africa released a statement which read:

"Mr. Boucher has decided to resign in order to pursue other opportunities in line with his future career and personal objectives.While Cricket SA greatly regrets that Mr Boucher is unable to see out the term of his contract, it respects his decision and wishes him all the best in his future endeavours.”

South Africa's matches until the end of the T20 World Cup, which primarily involves a short white-ball tour of India, will be handled by Boucher before the cricket board finds a new head coach to take over.

Boucher-led MI Cape Town were the first franchise to sign their core group of players

Out of all six franchises in SA20, Reliance Industries Limited-owned MI Cape Town were the first side to c omplete all of their primary acquisitions. They managed to rope in some of the biggest names in white-ball cricket such Rashid Khan, Liam Livingstone, and Sam Curran.

To meet their quota of local and uncapped local player, MI Cape Town signed Kagiso Rabada and Dewald Brevis, respectively, to complete their core.

Will the legendary wicket-keeper emerge as one of the leading coaches in the game with his venture into franchise cricket? Let us know what you think.