Faf du Plessis Joins Johannesburg Super Kings In CSA's T20 Tournament
Updated - 15 Aug 2022, 09:31 PM
Faf du Plessis will captain the Johannesburg Super Kings in the CSA’s T20 tournament, which begins next year. The franchise has chosen Du Plessis, the former South Africa captain, as one of its five direct signings for US$375,000.
The franchise, which is owned by Chennai Super Kings Sports Limited, which owns the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, has also acquired Moeen Ali’s services for $400,000.
Du Plessis has appeared in 100 matches with the Chennai Super Kings in two spells, from 2011 to 2015 and again from 2018 to 2021. Moeen, too, joined the Chennai Super Kings in 2021.
Stephen Fleming Set To Be The Head Coach Of The Franchise
Maheesh Theekshana ($200,000), a Sri Lankan offspinner, has joined the Johannesburg franchise from Chennai 2022. The squad has also signed West Indies allrounder Romario Shepherd ($175,000) and South African fast bowler Gerald Coetzee ($50,000), the latter as a development player.
Apart from the three players – du Plessis, Moeen, and Theekshana – some of the coaching staff are also former Chennai Super Kings players. Stephen Fleming will also be the head coach in Johannesburg, with Eric Simons serving as his assistant.
As per ESPNcricinfo, the team is also on the verge of hiring former South African allrounder Albie Morkel as a coach. Morkel was a member of the Chennai Super Kings as a player from 2008 to 2013, including when they won back-to-back IPL titles in 2010 and 2011.
The six organisations are allowed direct signings from a list of 30 prominent names that CSA recently finalised.
Each of the six teams is allowed a squad of 17 players. While franchises have begun to announce their direct acquisitions, the remaining 12 players will be chosen via an auction on September 20 this year.
