SA20 League: Faf du Plessis Hails MS Dhoni After Being Appointed Captain of Johannesburg Super Kings
SA20 will be the third time South Africa would be attempting to launch a franchise T20 league in the country.
New Delhi: Faf du Plessis lavished praise on MS Dhoni after the cricketer Faf was named as the captain of Johannesburg Super Kings in the SA20 league, starting in January next year. The franchise, owned by Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited (CSKCL), who also owns Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), have also got Stephen Fleming on board as the head coach while revealing the logo of the side.
“Certainly been involved with the IPL for the last 10-11 years. You see the difference that it makes to the young generation and the young players, especially in that Indian cricket team and environment. That knowledge and wisdom and experience that you can share across with your young talent in your own country, I think that’s extremely important for the growth of the national team. The way that they’ve set up the league now looks like it’s going to be one of the big leagues across the globe,” said du Plessis on reuniting with CSK brand in SA20 league as captain of Johannesburg Super Kings.
“To be around MS Dhoni, to just watch and observe exactly what he does on and off the field…I’m extremely grateful to have learned from so many great players and leaders in the game. In terms of leadership, MS Dhoni has done the most. He’s the best guy to learn from.”
Fleming has been CSK’s coach since 2009 after playing for them in inaugural IPL 2008 edition. “My last memory of being at the Wanderers was with Chennai (Super Kings), winning the Champions League. I remember it very fondly, it’s a wonderful ground. First thing I remember was the support that we got through South Africa, which was a surprise for all of us.”
“It just shows the passion of the South African cricket fans to follow good cricket and we like to produce that. We’re really hoping we can get good support from Johannesburg and around the country. That’s a big part of what Chennai is about,” said Fleming.
SA20 will be the third time South Africa would be attempting to launch a franchise T20 league in the country. In its previous attempts, the attempt to start Global League T20 failed to happen in 2017.