South Africa’s very own franchise-based T20 tournament – T20 Global League is all set to make its mark amongst the other tournaments around the world. The auction drafts have been carried out, the team owners have picked their favorite players and the league is ready to launch in the month of November.
South African all-rounder JP Duminy has been appointed as the skipper of the franchise Cape Town Knight Riders, owned by the Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. The side will be coached by Jacques Kallis who is also in charge of Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.
In conversation with SA Cricket Magazine, Duminy opened up about his delight of captaining the side and also shared his experiences of sharing the dressing room with the Indian maestro Sachin Tendulkar for Mumbai Indians.
“I had the opportunity when I was younger to play with Sachin Tendulkar, to be in the same changing room as him and see how he goes about preparing for matches was great for me,” he said.
“At the end of the day it’s not only about winning cricket games, it’s about developing cricketers and giving younger guys the opportunities to rub shoulders with the greats of the game. This is no better time to do it. There are guys like Jason [Smith] and many local guys who can learn a lot from the senior guys in the squad,” he further added.
“I’m ecstatic. To be able to do it in front of my home crowd, it’s a huge honor to captain any team. I had the opportunity to captain my country in three T20s and captained Delhi [Daredevils] two years ago, so I had a small taste of it. I thoroughly enjoyed the responsibility it brings and what it brings out in me as a cricketer. I think it brings out the best in me, so hopefully, that will show in the performances in this tournament,” Duminy added.
