SA20: SWOT analysis of every team

The inaugural edition of the highly anticipated SA20 will kick off on January 10 with a derby clash between MI Cape Town and the Paarl Royals at the Newlands Cricket Ground.

The six franchises — MI Cape Town, Joburg Super Kings, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Pretoria Capitals, Durban Super Giants, and Paarl Royals — will lock horns with each other at the premier event to claim the title.

Let's take a look at the SWOT analysis of all the teams in SA20, as they prepare for their maiden outing on the field.

# Joburg Super Kings

The franchise is owned by the most consistent team in the history of the Indian Premier League — the Chennai Super Kings. Led by the experienced campaigner Faf du Plessis, the Stephen Fleming-coached side will play their home matches in Johannesburg, which is a pace-friendly wicket with extra bounce and pace.

The wickets there will be good for stroke making, and batsmen will enjoy the venue as they can play through the line and get the maximum value of their shots. However, there won't be much help for the spin bowlers.

SQUAD

Batsmen: Faf du Plessis, Janneman Malan, Donavon Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Kyle Verreynne (WK), Leus Du Plooy.

All-rounders: Romario Shepherd, Lewis Gregory.

Pacers: Gerald Coetzee, Nandre Burger, Malusi Siboto, George Garton, Alzarri Joseph, Lizaad Williams.

Spinners: Maheesh Theekshana, Caleb Seleka.

Wildcard Pick: Aaron Phangiso.

Probable playing XI:

Faf Du Plessis (c), Janneman Malan, Reeza Hendricks, Leus Du Plooy, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Donovan Ferreira, Romario Shepherd, Alzarri Joseph, Gerald Coetzee, Aaron Phangiso/Mahesh Theekshana, George Garton/Nandre Burger

Strength

On paper, the Joburg Super Kings' batting looks well structured, and they have some outstanding players in Faf, Reeza, and Malan in their top three who can play both pace and spin with ease. In the middle order, they also have Kyle Verreynne and especially Leus du Plooy, who is a left-hander and provides variety in the batting order. You can expect some fireworks from power hitters like Donavon Ferreira and Romario Shepherd for the death overs.

The Joburg bowling unit boasts some very brilliant pace bowling names such as Alzarri Joseph, Malusi Siboto, Nandre Burger, and George Garton. This unit has the entire arsenal it takes to rattle any batting lineup in the tournament.

Weakness

If Joburg decides to strengthen their overall bowling line-up by bringing in George Garton at No. 5, they will probably have to bring in Coetzee at No. 7, and that's where they lack quality batting depth in their squad. Also, they have some limited all-rounders in their squad, which will make their playing XI very rigid.

They have spinners in Theekshana and Caleb Saleka, but the former's availability will be an issue for the Super Kings, and they might struggle on that front.

Opportunity

Donavon Ferreira is a dynamic batter in T20s and made his name as a brutal striker of the cricket ball, as his career SR in T20 format is around 150. Rajasthan Royals recently bought him into their team recently. He will be itching to prove his mettle for the Joburg Kings, who already have some anchors on their team.

Nandre Burger can prove to be a great prospect for the Kings, as he is not only potent with the new ball but also in the death overs, where his variations and yorkers can prove to be the gamechanger.

Joburg have a solid squad, but Brook's absence may come back to bite them at some point. Faf's captaincy and BBL form will be crucial, but they should be pleased with their bowling attack. They are unquestionably one of the strongest teams and a top four contender in SA20.

Threat

Ahead of the start of the inaugural edition of SA20, the England Cricket Board (ECB) withdrew the name of English cricketer Harry Brook from SA20 in order to manage the workload of the young batter.

This will upset the balance and the team's plans in SA20. But they will get a replacement for him and it will be interesting to see who they bring in.

Additionally, Leus du Plooy is the only left-handed batsman in their top six, making them vulnerable to left-arm bowlers and leg spinners. Coetzee is a decent bowler who can bat down the order, but he is too raw for that role.

# Pretoria Capitals

The Pretoria Capitals are the sister franchises of the Delhi Capitals. Led by all-rounder Wayne Parnell, the side will play their home matches in Centurion — a high-scoring venue that has extra zip with pace and bounce and can witness some spicy games. As spinners might not be as crucial, teams will prefer more and more pace on this ground.

SQUAD

Batsmen: Rilee Rossouw, Phil Salt, Cameron Delport, Kusal Mendis, Marco Marais, Theunis De Bruyn, Will Jacks.

All-rounders: Wayne Parnell, James Neesham, Shane Dadswell.

Pacers: Anrich Nortje, Migael Pretorius, Daryn Dupavillon, Eathan Bosch, Joshua Little.

Spinners: Adil Rashid, Senuran Muthusamy, Shaun Von Berg.

Wildcard Pick: Senuran Muthusamy

Probable playing XI

Will Jacks, Phil Salt (WK), Rilee Rossouw, Theunis De Bruyn, Cameron Delport, James Neesham, Wayne Parnell (c), Migael Pretorius, Adil Rashid, Anrich Nortje, Daryn Dupavilon

Strength

Coached by Graham Ford, the Capitals are one of the most structured batting line-ups. With the likes of Rilee Rossouw, Phil Salt, Cameron Delport, and Will Jacks at the top of the order, the Capitals have one of the most explosive top four. The presence of Wayne Parnell, Jimmy Neesham, and Shane Dadswell makes for an excellent all-around unit for the Pretoria Capitals.

They bat deep, which allows them to toggle their overseas combination.

They also have a strong bowling unit for most parts of the game.

Weakness

The Capitals can rue the absence of wicket takers in the middle overs. They have Adil Rashid to bowl for them in the middle overs but he is more of a containing bowler in T20s rather than an out-and-out wicket taker like Rashid Khan. They also lack a middle over enforcer and opponents might sneak in some big overs against them.

Opportunity

Daryn Dupavillon is a great pace bowler to have in the ranks. Not only does he have the pace, but he also has the variations to trouble the batsmen. In most matches, he might turn out to be the X-Factor for the Pretoria Capitals, picking up some crucial wickets, especially in death overs.

Muthusamy and Bosch can be included in the XI if needed as they can provide some batting depth to the side along with their bowling.

Threat

Their bowling attack in the process of picking wickets can go for runs and this might bite them into the tournament in those matches where there's a partnership going on and they will try too much.

# Paarl Royals

The Paarl Royals are owned by the owners of the inaugural IPL champions, Rajasthan Royals. Led by David Miller, the JP Duminy-coached team will play their home matches at the Boland Park Cricket Ground, which is a batsman-friendly wicket with high-scoring ground.

SQUAD

Batsmen: Jos Buttler, David Miller, Jason Roy, Dane Vilas, Mitchell Van Buuren, Eoin Morgan.

All-Rounders: Corbin Bosch, Wihan Lubbe, Ferisco Adams, Evan Jones, Andile Phehlukwayo.

Pace Bowlers: Obed McCoy, Lungisani Ngidi, Ramon Simmonds, Codi Yusuf.

Spinners: Tabraiz Shamsi, Bjorn Fortuin, Imraan Manack.

Wildcard Pick: Andile Phehlukwayo

Probable Playing XI

Jos Buttler (wk), Jason Roy, Wihan Lubbe, Eoin Morgan, David Miller (c), Mitchell van Buuren, Andile Phehlukwayo, Obed McCoy, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi, Bjorn Fortuin

Strength

With the English duo of Jos Buttler and Jason Roy opening up for the Paarl Royals, we might have the best opening duo of the tournament. The two players have played against each other for England and will definitely complement each other. Following them in the middle order will be Eoin Morgan and skipper David Miller, providing enough firepower. So, the batting order looks well settled. They have two of the most ferocious finishers in Miller and Eoin Morgan, who can finish some improbable matches on their own.

The Royals can afford to use all their overseas slots in the batting order as they have the most complete spin bowling attack, or rather, a complete South African spin bowling attack.

Weakness

The Paarl Royals have Obed McCoy, who will be their prime option in the playoffs. Barring McCoy, they lack a specialist for this role. They also don't bat too deep, which leaves them in the top order with too much work to do.

Opportunity

Mitchell van Buuren, the hard-hitting left-handed batsman, has the potential to become the next SA20 star. He has been in some stupendous form in SA domestic T20 games, averages 34 and scores runs at a healthy SR of 131 plus, and can mold his game according to the team's needs. In a team of superstar batsmen, he might turn out to be their X-factor in the tournament.

Threat

The lack of quality backups for their spinners might be their major concern right now. Also, Eoin Morgan has not played any competitive cricket for a very long time since his retirement. This might cause some issues in their middle-order batting.

# Sunrisers Eastern Cape

The Sunrisers Eastern Cape are owned by Kalanithi Maran of the Sun TV Network, who also own the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. Led by Aiden Markram, the Adrian Birrell-coached team will play their home matches at St George’s Park Cricket Ground, which will be a batsmen's paradise.

The teams will look to front-load their XI with fast bowlers here.

SQUAD

Batsmen: Aiden Markram, Adam Rossington, Jordan Cox, Jordan Hermann, Marques Ackerman, Sarel Erwee, Tristan Stubbs

All-rounders: Aya Gqamane, James Fuller, Jon-Jon Smut, Tom Abell.

Pacers: Brydon Carse, Marco Jansen, Ottniel Baartman, Sisanda Magala

Spinners: Junaid Dawood, Mason Crane, Roelof Van Der Merwe

Wildcard Pick: Jordan Hermann

Probable playing XI

Aiden Markram (c), Sarel Erwee, Jon-jon Smuts, Adam Rossington (WK), Tristan Stubbs, Tom Abell, Aya Gqamane, Marco Jansen, Brydon Carse, Sisanda Magala, Mason Crane

Strengths

Sunrisers Eastern Cape possess a very solid top three in Markram, Erwee, and Smuts. When you add the firepower of Tristan Stubbs, who was the highest acquisition of the tournament for his brutal striking abilities, the batting order looks quite dangerous on paper.

The presence of Brydon Carse, Marco Jansen, and Sisanda Magala provides the team with a lot of flexibility and dynamism in the pace department. With every base covered in their pace department, this team has one of the most potent fast bowling attacks.

Weakness

The team has players who can anchor the innings, but besides players like Tristan Stubbs in the middle to increase their scoring rate, they lack enforcers.

The lack of quality spinners in their squad will be a major concern for them.

Opportunity

The presence of Tristan Stubbs, who has played for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, will be a big boost to the Sunrisers in the Eastern Cape. He has the ability to tonk gigantic sixes from the word go. He has shown glimpses of his potential playing for SA, but this will be a great platform for him to showcase to the cricket world what he is capable of.

Sisanda Magala’s experience and accurate yorkers will come in handy with a wide variety of services.

Threat

The lack of quality all-rounders will be a huge concern for the Sunrisers. They also didn't focus much on picking backups for their injury-prone fast bowlers.

# Durban's Super Giants

The Durban Super Giants are owned by RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group and are the sister franchise of one of the newest IPL team Lucknow Super Gaints. Led by Quinton De Kock, the Lance Klusener-coached side will play their home matches in Durban where they will be welcomed by hostile pitches where fast bowlers will get steep bounce and lateral movement.

SQUAD

Batsmen: Quinton de Kock, Matthew Breetzke, Christian Jonker, Heinrich Klaasen, Johnson Charles

All-rounders: Prenelan Subrayen, Jason Holder, Kyle Mayers, Wiaan Mulder, Dwaine Pretorius, Keemo Paul

Pacers: Reece Topley, Kyle Abbott, Junior Dala, Dilshan Madushanka

Spinners: Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj

Wildcard Pick: Akila Dananjaya

Probable playing XI

Quinton de Kock (C, WK)Johnson Charles, Kyle Mayers, Heinrich Klaasen, Christian Jonker, Wiaan Mulder, Jason Holder, Keshav Maharaj, Reece Topley, Kyle Abbott, Junior Dala

Strength

Durban has a fearsome top four in Quinton de Kock, Johnson Charles, Kyle Mayers, and Heinrich Klaasen, and their top-order batting looks very settled. They have also covered most of their bases with a great variety of all-rounders. The depth in this section of the team will provide them with great dynamism and flexibility to field the proper XI as per the playing conditions.

Weakness

The Durban Super Giants' death bowling might hurt them, as they have only Reece Topley, who to some extent can bowl those variations in those overs. Their middle-order batting will be an interesting factor in determining how far they go in the tournament.

Opportunity

Wiaan Mulder will be the X-factor for the Durban Super Giants. Not only will he bat in the middle order, setting the tone for the team in the majority of matches, but with the ball also, the team may expect him to make a few crucial contributions.

Threat

Their bowling unit is prone to injuries, and that might be a big concern for the Giants going into the tournament. They have some all-rounders who can replace them without disrupting the balance of the side, but that will surely downgrade the quality of the attack then.

# MI Cape Town

The MI Cape Town is the sister franchise of five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians. Led by charismatic all-rounder Rashid Khan, the Simon Katich-coached team will play their home matches at the Newlands Cricket Ground, which has a reputation for providing significant pace and bounce to fast bowlers. The likes of Jofra Archer, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, etc. would certainly be licking their lips at the sight of the pitch.

SQUAD

Batsmen: Dewald Brevis, Rassie van der Dussen, Ryan Rickelton, Wesley Marshall, Grant Roelofsen,

All-rounders: Rashid Khan, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, George Linde, Delano Potgieter, Odean Smith

Pacers: Jofra Archer, Duan Jansen, Olly Stone, Beuran Hendricks, Kagiso Rabada

Spinner: Waqar Salamkheil

Probable playing XI

Ryan Rickelton (wk), Wesley Marshall, Rassie van der Dussen, Dewald Brevis, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Rashid Khan (c), George Linde, Kagiso Rabada, and Ziyad Abrahams

Strength

MI Cape Town have assembled probably one of the strongest squads in the tournament. They are not only a well-structured batting line-up that can dismantle any bowling attack but also a bowling attack that looks potent. The teams are definitely going to find it difficult to score freely against the likes of Rashid, Jofra, and Rabada.

MI Cape Town also possess the strongest lower middle order in Livingston, Curran, Jofra, and Rashid. They have the flexibility to play different combinations, as they also have a plethora of rounders.

Weakness

Their middle order might get exposed in the power play itself, with their inexperienced openers struggling to get going. If they are able to provide them with some brisk starts, then this unit will be the one to beat.

Opportunity

Dewald Brevis, a youngster who has been spoken of with a lot of hope by cricket experts in recent times, has also displayed some impressive hitting skills in whatever chances Brevis has gotten. The baby-faced assassin recently lit up the CSA T20 Challenge with a record-breaking 162 in 57 balls.

He might be the x-factor in batting for MICT in the tournament along with Ziyaad Abrahams who has been in good form in recent domestic tournaments. His presence might bolster the bowling attack of MI Cape Town during the tournament.

Threat

They didn't have a perfect replacement for their first choice, especially for their talisman Rashid Khan. In fact, they lack heavily in their spin department, which might hamper their chances in the tournament.