‘Core in good place, we know what to do at auction’: Pretoria Capitals coach Ganguly

New Delhi, Oct 6 (IANS) Pretoria Capitals head coach Sourav Ganguly is confident in the core group of players in the team and has clarity on what the franchise needs to do when the auctions for the SA20 2027 take place on Wednesday.

The Capitals made it to the final of the previous edition, where they lost to two-time winners Sunrisers Eastern Cape, who bagged their third title. Capitals have retained the core of their runners-up group and have also pre-signed Phil Salt and Matthew Short ahead of the auction.

“We were in the final last season, and we didn’t finish the job. This time, we have come back stronger. Phil Salt is back, and we have retained the players who delivered for us — Dewald Brevis, Keshav Maharaj, and Lungi Ngidi,” Ganguly said, as quoted by Pretoria Capitals.

“Add the firepower of Andre Russell and Sherfane Rutherford, along with some very good domestic talent coming through, and the core is in a good place. There are five spots left, and we will go into the auction knowing exactly what we need,” he added.

The SA20 auction will take place on Wednesday as Capitals, and the other five teams will have their chance to finalise their squads for the fifth season. 156 players have been shortlisted for the auction, with the likes of Faf du Plessis, Rassie van der Dussen, Wiaan Mulder and Nandre Burger headlining the pack.

Only 19 slots can be filled across the six teams. Durban’s Super Giants and Paarl Royals will not be busy as they have already completed their 19-player squads.

Joburg Super Kings and MI Cape Town have the most slots to fill, as they can rope in six players. Capitals and Sunrisers Eastern Cape can bring in five and two players, respectively.

The next SA20 season will run from January 17 to February 21, with Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Pretoria Capitals facing each other in the opener.

–IANS

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