#T20 GLOBAL DESTINATION LEAGUE

Amla, de Villiers among marquee local players for South Africa's new T20 league

by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on

AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla will be facing each other in the T20 league. © Getty

Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers are among the top marquee local players announced by Cricket South Africa on Friday (April 21) for their new T20 league that is set to take place later this year. Apart from Amla and de Villiers, CSA revealed the names of Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir as the marquee players for the first two editions of the #T20 Global Destination League.

"The selection of our own South African marquee players has been very exciting," Haroon Lorgat, CSA Chief Executive, said. "And it will be even more exciting when we engage fans to help us to allocate the "hometown hero" to each franchise team.

"This announcement is another major step towards establishing our new T20 League in South Africa. We must not understate the world-class quality of our own players. They are household names across the world and our fans in South Africa will finally get the chance to see them compete against one another at home."

Each of these eight players will be assigned to a franchise that is based in the city that he has been associated with over the years or to a city that he can potentially build a strong connection. CSA had already unveiled the names of Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum, Kevin Pietersen, Eoin Morgan, Lasith Malinga, Dwayne Bravo, Jason Roy and Kieron Pollard as the marquee overseas players last week.

De Villiers revealed that he is honoured to be present among the marquee players. "I'm honoured to be part of this list and cannot wait for the competition to get going," he said. "It's amazing to think that the best in the world are going to be here on our shores. Looking at the international names, they are individuals that have changed the landscape of T20 cricket and I look forward to featuring in the league."

Kagiso Rabada couldn't contain his excitement at being part of the list and has called for the fellow youngsters from his country to stamp their authority in the tournament. "I am overwhelmed to have been named a marquee player," Rabada said. "I still cannot believe it and l think it will only hit home as the competition gets close. I look forward to leading by example in the #T20 Global Destination League. It is an opportunity for every young South African cricketer to put his name on the world map. Just thinking of it excites me."

With one local marquee player and one overseas marquee player assigned to each franchise, the rest of the squad will be built by the owners via a player draft system.

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