Chennai Super Kings (CSK) management has roped in former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis as their marquee signing for the upcoming Cricket South Africa (CSA) T20 league.
Notably, August 10 (Wednesday) was the last day for the direct acquisition of players for the six-team tournament, to be launched early next year. Though the six franchises, all owned by the IPL teams, were bound by a confidentiality clause and had refused to disclose their star signings, but according to Cricbuzz, Du Plessis, the former Super Kings star, is back with his old team.
Du Plessis represented CSK from 2011 to 2021, except in 2016 and 2017, when the franchise was suspended. But CSK failed to retain him in the 2022 auction, where he was bought by Royals Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and was also named their captain.
The Chennai team management has bought the Johannesburg franchise in the T20 competition. The CSA league has asked the franchises to submit a list of five players under the overriding principle of one South African, three foreigners with not more than two from the same country and one uncapped player.
It is also believed that the Chennai management have roped in Moeen Ali, who represents CSK in the IPL. Further, the Pretoria and Port Elizabeth teams, owned by Delhi Capitals and SunRisers Hyderabad, have retained their South African players of the IPL roster – Anrich Nortje and Aiden Markram – respectively.
Similarly, the Rajasthan Royals, who own Paarl in the CSA league, have retained their IPL star recruit, Jos Buttler. Sanjiv Goenka’s Lucknow Super Giants management, who have bought the Durban team, went with Quinton de Kock.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians, who unveiled their CSA league franchises’ name yesterday as MI Cape Town, have made some big signings in the form of Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Kagiso Rabada, and Rashid Khan.
