In the ongoing inaugural season of SA20, the Joburg Super Kings have decided to replace Harry Brook with Sibonelo Makhanya. After being selected in the IPL auction for a large sum, England’s new batting sensation Harry Brook withdrew from SA20 2023, citing workload issues. He is also expected to be included in England’s One-Day International squad for the series against South Africa later this month.
Returning to Makhanya, he is currently enjoying a purple patch on the cricket field. He led the Titans to the CSA T20 Challenge title last year. Aside from the Titans’ collective performance, the young cricketer demonstrated his individual brilliance by scoring 119 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 119.
Sibonelo Makhanya will be hoping to capitalise on his recent form and play a key role in the Joburg Super Kings’ upcoming campaign. Notably, the middle-order batter has some experience with the shortest format, having scored 818 runs in 74 appearances at a strike rate of 114.8.
While the Johannesburg-based franchise will be pleased with the replacement, they will still be hoping to overcome Harry Brook’s departure because they spent a lot of money to get him.
Brook’s name was offered at a starting price of R850,000 in the inaugural SA20 auction. Despite this, the Joberg Super Kings were able to sign him for a whopping R2.1 million after a heated bidding war with the Paarl Royals.
Following the purchase of Harry Brook by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2023 auction last month, the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) reportedly requested that the Super Kings withdraw his name, citing workload management as the middle-order sensation represents the Three Lions across formats.
Meanwhile, the Super Kings started their SA20 2023 campaign with a win over the Durban Super Giants, but have since lost to the Paarl Royals and MI Cape Town. They will be hoping to return to winning ways when they face Pretoria Capitals on Tuesday, January 17 at the Wanderers Stadium.
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