The SA20 2025-26 starts on December 26 in Cape Town. In the lead up to the fourth edition of the competition, ESPNcricinfo previews each of the six teams. In part one, we preview last year's finalists.
MI Cape Town
Last season: Champions
Captain: Rashid Khan
Coach: Robin Peterson
Who's in: Nicholas Pooran, Dan Lategan, Jason Smith, Tom Moores, Karim Janat, Dwaine Pretorius, Jacques Snyman, Tiaan van Vuuren
Who's out: Dewald Brevis, Connor Esterhuizen, Colin Ingram, Delano Potgieter, Sediqullah Atul, Azmatullah Omarzai, Matthew Potts, Nuwan Thushara, Tabraiz Shamsi (withdrawn)
Strengths: After picking themselves up from two poor seasons at the start of the league, MICT rallied to win the third edition of the tournament and will go into this one with most of the players that helped them lift the trophy. They've largely stuck to their core group and have a balanced squad which includes South African batting heavyweights Reeza Hendricks, Ryan Rickelton and Rassie van der Dussen, while their pace attack is led by Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult and Corbin Bosch. Rashid Khan, George Linde and Dane Piedt provide a varied spin contingent.
Weaknesses: Dewald Brevis' record-breaking move to the Pretoria Capitals means MICT are short on an explosive middle-order batter. They acquired Nicholas Pooran, Tom Moores and Jason Smith and Moores, who has some success at No.5, may be their best option.
Who to watch: Twenty-year-old seamer Tristan Luus, who played for South Africa at the 2024 Under-19 World Cup, now has more than a season's worth of domestic experience under his belt, as well as a stint at the MLC. Under the guidance of Boult and Rabada, his progression will be crucial to both MICT and South Africa's bowling stocks.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape
Last season: Runners-up
Captain: Tristan Stubbs
Coach: Adi Birrell
Who's in: Jonny Bairstow, Matthew Breetzke, Quinton de Kock, Mitchell van Buuren, James Coles, Lewis Gregory, JP King, Senuran Muthusamy, AM Ghazanfar, Christopher King, Adam Milne, Anrich Nortje, Lutho Sipamla, Chris Wood
Who's out: Aiden Markram, David Bedingham, Tom Abell, Zak, Crawley, Tony de Zorzi, Daniel Smith, Liam Dawson, Craig Overton, Roelof van der Merwe, Ottneil Baartman, Andile Simelane, Caleb Saleka, Okuhle Celen, Simon Harmer
Strengths: SEC reached three successive finals without many batting superstars but this season they've added firepower. In Matthew Breetzke, Quinton de Kock and Jonny Bairstow, they've got three of the most aggressive top-order players in the game, which suggests a more attacking approach is imminent. Add to that two of the quickest pacers in the game in Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortje, and this is a highly watchable group.
Weaknesses: There are only five survivors - Stubbs, Jansen, Jordan Hermann, Patrick Kruger and Beyers Swanepoel - from last season's squad, so immediate cohesion may be lacking. Stubbs is also in a new role as captain, having come off an up and down year for South Africa, and will need time to find his feet in the role.
Who to watch: De Kock and Nortje both made South African comebacks in the last few months and will want to make cases to play in the T20 World Cup. This is their audition and they will want to make it count.