Picking a combined SunRisers Eastern Cape and Durban's Super Giants playing 11 for SA20 2024 ft. Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen 

The 2024 edition of the SA20 is well underway with the opening set of games being conducted since January 10. The defending champions. Sunrisers Eastern Cape, will be in action for the first time this season in a clash against the Durban's Super Giants on Saturday, January 13 at St. George's Park in Gqeberha.

The clash will be played under lights in the first double-header weekend, which also involves an afternoon game between the MI Cape Town and the Joburg Super Kings.

The Sunrisers Eastern Cape, led by Aiden Markram, will be looking to make a winning start to the season, against a formidable looking Durban's Super Giants side that defeated MI Cape Town in their opening clash in Kingsmead in a rain-infested encounter.

The Durban Super Giants, led by Keshav Maharaj, narrowly missed out on the playoffs last time around, and will hope to capitalise on their promising start as well as their in-form players, including Heinrich Klaasen.

On that note, let us take a look at the combined SunRisers Eastern Cape and Durban's Super Giants playing 11 for SA20 2024.

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Top Order: Quinton de Kock, Kyle Mayers and Dawid Malan

The trio of left-handed batters offer a nice blend of aggression as well as caution. Quinton de Kock's season did not start off on the right note, after being dismissed for just five runs by Kagiso Rabada in the Super Giants' opening clash against MI Cape Town recently. However, he is bound to bounce back and earns a place in the combined team.

Kyle Mayers does not find a place in the Durban Super Giants' playing XI due to the other high-profile overseas players, but he is a good fit in this case. He also presents himself as a good bowling option as well, with the ability of finding movement with the new ball. His explosiveness at the top of the order also augurs well, with a calming presence like Dawid Malan slotted in at No.3 in this particular setup.

Malan's reputation as a T20I batter has taken a hit in recent times, but he still has a lot to offer, even in the modern-day ultra aggressive landscape. With the explosive middle order coming up next in the combined playing XI, Malan proves to be a good link and can potentially hold one end of the crease, allowing other batters to express themselves.

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Middle Order - Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen and Nicholas Pooran

Aiden Markram, who leads the South Africa national T20I side as well as the Sunrisers Eastern Cape, will also be leading the combined playing XI. He was the player of the tournament in SA20 2023, and showcased his big hitting recently, oddly during the second Test against India on the most challenging of surfaces in Cape Town.

Heinrich Klaasen, now solely devoted to white-ball cricket having announced his Test cricket, scored 85 runs off 35 deliveries to help his side secure a win over MI Cape Town. He has been one of the in-form T20 batters of late, and arguably gets into any T20 side when he is in this kind of touch.

Adding more explosiveness to the side is Nicholas Pooran. The left-handed batter, much like Klaasen, had a brilliant 2023. With his ability to settle in quickly and change the momentum in an instant, he becomes a perfect addition to any middle order.

Given his additional ability to play anywhere in the middle order, he can also be promoted in instances where the presence of a left-handed batter becomes necessary.

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All-rounders - Dwaine Pretorius and Marco Jansen

Dwaine Pretorius is a handy batter down the order, and also improves the team's beath bowling considerably. He bowled two overs in the Super Giants' season opener, conceding only 15 runs in a high-scoring encounter and also accounting for the wicket of Connor Esterhuizen.

Marco Jansen's best T20 batting effort till date has come in the SA20, when he scored a blistering 66 against the MI Cape Town, taking on Rashid Khan in the process. Apart from adding depth to the batting order, he can potentially swing the ball and use the bounce with his tall frame as well.

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Bowlers - Keshav Maharaj, Reece Topley, Ottneil Baartman

Keshav Maharaj comes across the solitary frontline option, with Aiden Markram acting as the second spin bowling option, if needed. The left-arm spinner took Dewald Brevis' wicket in Super Giants' recent win, but was expensive across the two overs he bowled.

Reece Topley has been unlucky with injuries for quite a while, but has been playing consistent cricket of late. He had a forgettable outing against MI Cape Town, but with pace bowling being an issue for both these sides, he finds a place in the combined XI.

Ottniel Baartman had a solid season last year in SA20, claiming 12 wickets in seven matches, and he has a lot of responsibility with the pace attack on his shoulders.

Who will win the upcoming clash between Sunrisers Eastern Cape and the Durban's Super Giants in the SA20 2024? Let us know what you think.