MSL 2018: All you need to know about Paarl Rocks - Squad, Strengths, Weaknesses, and more

With cricket gaining a lot of popularity around the world, T20 leagues have become a regular affair nowadays. It all started with a successful season of IPL in 2008, and now we have a family of T20 leagues across the globe with Afghanistan recently joining the party.

One such addition to the family is South Africa's Mzansi Super League 2018 which is all set to kick-start from 16th November 2018 with its final scheduled on 16th December 2018. In this time duration of 31 days, we will be witnessing a total of 32 matches among six teams. The six teams being part of the league will be Cape Town Blitz, Durban Heat, Jozi Stars, Nelson Mandela Bay Giants, Paarl Rocks, and Tshwane Spartans.

Qualification Criterion

Interestingly, Mzansi Super League 2018 will be syphoning a different qualification criterion for the knockout stages. In MSL 2018, unlike other T20 leagues, only two knockout matches will take place - Eliminator and Final. The Eliminator will take place between the 2nd and the 3rd ranked team. Eventually, the winner of the Eliminator will contest with the 1st ranked team in the Final of MSL 2018. Thus, the 1st ranked team will get an added advantage of directly qualifying for the finals.

Hence, after having been through the technicalities of Mzansi Super League 2018 let us get into the detailed picture of one of the six teams of the MSL 2018. In this edition of 'All you need to know about,' we will be having a detailed look at the consummate delineation of Paarl Rocks - a Paarl based franchise. The article will circumscribe all the essential details about Paarl Rocks - squads, owner, players to watch out for, strengths, and weaknesses.

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#1 Paarl Rocks - Squad, Home Ground, and Owner

Faf du Plessis will be captaining Paarl Rocks in MSL 2018

The Paarl based franchise, Paarl Rocks, will be captained by the South African captain, Faf du Plessis. Paarl has announced a strong side while going into the first edition of Mzansi Super League. The squad includes the likes of Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Aiden Markram.

Paarl Rocks' Squad for MSL 2018: Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dane Paterson, Aiden Markram, Mangaliso Mosehle, Bjorn Fortuin, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Grant Thomson, Michael Klinger (replacing Paul Stirling), Tshepo Moreki, Henry Davids, David Wiese (replacing Cameron Delport), Eathan Bosch, Patrick Kruger, and Kerwin Mungroo.

Home Ground: Boland Park, Paarl, South Africa.

Owner: CSA (Cricket South Africa).

Proteas Marquee Player: Faf du Plessis.

International Marquee Player: Dwayne Bravo (West Indies).

#2 Players to watch out for in MSL 2018

Aiden Markram will be one of the players to watch out for in MSL 2018

Paarl Rocks possess some of the big names in their squad with the likes of Faf du Plessis and Dwayne Bravo. In addition to that, Rocks also include some prospective players who will be hoping to make it big in MSL 2018. Thus, let us have a glimpse at some of the players to watch out for from Paarl Rocks' camp in MSL 2018.

Dane Paterson

Dane Paterson, a right-arm fast bowler from Cape Town, will be one of the most significant bowlers for Paarl Rocks in upcoming MSL. With minimal experience in the pace department, Dane will have to spearhead the fast bowling department for Paarl Rocks in MSL 2018. Thus, Paterson will be one of the players to look out for in MSL 2018, especially for the IPL franchises.

Tabraiz Shamsi

Tabraiz Shamsi, a slow left-arm spinner, will have a decent amount of task on his hand in the approaching MSL. Shamsi has now become a regular affair in the South African limited overs team. Moreover, he has also been the most expensive buy for Paarl Rocks in MSL 2018. Thus, with Shamsi being the only spinner in the side, all the eyes will be on him to perform in the MSL 2018.

Aiden Markram

Another prospective cricketer to look out for in MSL 2018 is Aiden Markram. The right-handed batsman has garnered a lot of attention in recent times. With an exceptional style of play, Markram has now found himself a foot in international cricket. Hence, with the IPL 2019 Auction on the cards, Aiden will unquestionably be one of the players to watch out for in the upcoming MSL 2018.

#3 Strengths and Weaknesses of Paarl Rocks

Faf du Plessis will be spearheading Paarl Rocks' batting lineup in MSL 2018

Having been through the detailed structure of Paarl Rocks' squad for MSL 2018, let us now have a look into their strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths

The sure shot strength that Paarl Rocks own is their strong batting lineup. With the likes of Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis, and Dwayne Bravo, Rocks appear to possess an experienced batting lineup which will produce good results for them in MSL 2018.

Another strength that they hold is of having an experienced captain. Having acquired Faf du Plessis, Paarl Rocks seems to have no problems on the captaincy front as they possess a veteran campaigner who has been an exceptional captain for his national team.

Thus, with a stronger batting suit and an experienced skipper, Paarl Rocks are expected to dominate the upcoming MSL 2018.

Weaknesses

With a relatively stronger squad up their sleeve, Paarl Rocks are good to go in MSL 2018. However, they do have a handful of weaknesses that they need to encounter in MSL 2018.

The first weakness that Paarl Rocks need to battle with is their comparatively weaker fast bowling lineup. They are short of experience in their pace department which might bring nightmares for them in MSL 2018. Hence, with minimal experience, Paar Rocks will be relying heavily on Dwayne Bravo in their bowling which might put a lot of pressure on him.

The second thing that might trouble Paarl Rocks is the lack of options in their spin department. The only spinner in their suit is Tabraiz Shamsi. Hence, Paarl Rocks are short on backup options in their spin web. Thus, in case of injury to Shamsi, Paarl might face problems. Although the chances are less, we need to take it into account.

Thus, with a tad inexperienced bowling lineup, Paarl Rocks happens to be imbalanced on the bowling front.