Mzansi Super League: 5 stars to keep an eye out for in Nelson Mandela Bay Giants

Nelson Mandela Bay Giants is a T20 franchise team based in St George's Cricket ground, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Nelson Mandela Bay Giants are one of the six teams participating in Mzansi Super League (MSL) organized by Cricket South Africa. South African cricket board-owned T20 league MSL is going to feature many renowned national and international cricketers during its inaugural season this year.

MSL is scheduled to commence on 16th November and will culminate after one month on 16th December.

International superstars like Rashid Khan, Eoin Morgan, Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, and Jason Roy have confirmed their participation in the inaugural season of MSL. The above-mentioned players are categorized as International marquee players in the league. Each of the six teams has one international marquee player in their ranks.

Apart from an overseas marquee player, each team also comprises of one South African marquee player. AB de Villiers, Imran Tahir, Faf du Plessis, Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, and Kagiso Rabada are the designated Proteas marquee players in the league.

Port Elizabeth based franchise, Nelson Mandela Bay Giants is one of the most balanced sides in the tournament. The experience of international players like Imran Tahir, Chris Morris, Jason Roy is going to help the team's cause enormously. JJ Smuts will be leading Nelson Mandela Bay Giants this season.

The side also features exciting new talents like Junior Dala, Ben Duckett, and Christian Jonker who are consistent performers in the domestic arena and recently managed to make the cut for national squads. Jonker and Dala in particular debuted for South Africa in T20I series earlier this year against India and put up impressive performances.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Giants squad for this season's MSL -

JJ Smuts (Captain), Christiaan Jonker, Jason Roy (International Marquee), Marco Marais, Ben Duckett (Foreign Overseas), Heino Kuhn (Overseas Kolpak), Rudi Second, Chris Morris, Ryan McLaren. Carmi le Roux, Junior Dala, Lizaad Williams, Sisanda Magala, Aaron Phangiso, Dylan Matthews (Rookie) and Imran Tahir (Proteas Marquee)

5 star players from Nelson Mandela Bay Giants team to keep an eye out for are-

#5 Marco Marais(South Africa)

South African first-class cricketer - Marco Marais

25-year-old Marco Marais came into the limelight for the first time when he scored the fastest triple century in first-class cricket in November 2017 playing against Eastern province team as a part of Sunfoil 3-day cup. He scored 300 runs from just 191 deliveries in that innings and remained unbeaten.

Since playing that majestic innings, he is being touted as next big thing across the South African cricketing circles. He has an impressive career strike rate of 150.39 in T20 matches, which proves his hitting credentials.

He is a relatively unknown player in the league who has the potential to be a standout performer of the tournament and gain international acclaim.

#4 Junior Dala

Junior Dala

28-year-old Junior Dala debuted for the South African T20I team in January this year against the Indian team and impressed one and all with his skillful bowling. He bowled good lines and extracted good bounce which troubled most of the Indian batters except Virat Kohli. He also managed to contain dangerous Indian batsmen during the death overs by using subtle variations.

Due to his impressive performances against India, he earned a lucrative IPL contract from Delhi Daredevils.

He had a good start to his T20 career as he has picked up 11 wickets from 5 matches he has played so far. He is one of the players to watch out for in MSL this year.

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#3 Chris Morris

Chris Morris

Chris Morris is one of the most lethal all-rounders in the shortest format of the game. He has the ability to turn the matches single-handedly with both bat and ball.

He possesses an astonishing strike rate of 154.71 after playing 149 T20 matches, which acts as an alibi to his big-hitting prowess.

In the bowling department, he picked up 182 wickets and has an economy rate of 7.64 with 4/9 being his best figures. His death bowling expertise is an additional benefit to his team.

He is the X-factor player in this squad.

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#2 Imran Tahir

Imran Tahir

South Africa's leading leg-spinner Imran Tahir is one of the best spinners in T20I cricket going around. He is currently ranked 6th in the T20I bowler's rankings and is the Proteas marquee player of his side.

He is vastly experienced and has played in various T20 leagues around the world, enjoying considerable success. He possesses an excellent economy rate of 6.77 in T20I which proves his mettle in the format.

#1 Jason Roy

Jason Roy

Swashbuckling English opener Jason Roy belongs to the clan of innovative hitters who employ unorthodox shots to unsettle the line and rhythm of bowlers early on in the innings. He is one of the linchpins of modern-day England lineup and has established himself among the most destructive openers of the modern era in limited overs cricket.

He is a proven match-winner in white ball cricket and gained enough experience by participating in various T20 leagues around the world, including IPL and BBL.

He possesses an impressive strike rate of 146.10 after playing 185 T20 matches, which proves his hitting ability.

He is expected to be the enforcer in this batting lineup.