The South Africa Premier League 2023 was thrilling. While every team and player played well, the players with the most runs wrote their names in the record books and our memories. In this article, we will talk about the batsmen who scored the most runs in SA20 and dominated the tournament with their bats.
Top 20 Leading Run-Scorers
In the first season of the SA20 T20 cricket league, we witnessed some amazing batting performances. From established cricket stars like Buttler to the unexpected young hero, Will Jacks, SA20 saw many talented batsmen.
Individual players have made the South Africa Premier League popular with their amazing performances in bowling, fielding, and batting. Let us leave the best fielders and players with the most wickets in the league for another article. Now let us take a look at the kings of runs – the top 20 players with the most runs in SA20:
| Batsmen | Matches | Runs Scored |
|---|---|---|
| JC Buttler (PR) | 11 | 391 |
| F du Plessis (JSK) | 11 | 369 |
| AK Markram (SEC) | 12 | 366 |
| H Klaasen (DSG) | 10 | 363 |
| Q de Kock (DSG) | 10 | 271 |
| WG Jacks (PC) | 7 | 270 |
| JL du Plooy (JSK) | 9 | 249 |
| AM Rossington (SEC) | 10 | 246 |
| HE van der Dussen (MICT) | 10 | 243 |
| RR Hendricks (JSK) | 11 | 239 |
| PD Salt (PC) | 10 | 238 |
| TB de Bruyn (PC) | 12 | 238 |
| D Brevis (MICT) | 10 | 235 |
| DA Miller (PR) | 11 | 227 |
| BKG Mendis (PC) | 7 | 223 |
| JT Smuts (SEC) | 9 | 202 |
| RR Rossouw (PC) | 12 | 202 |
| G Roelofsen (MICT) | 10 | 198 |
| T Stubbs (SEC) | 12 | 190 |
| J Hermann (SEC) | 8 | 184 |
5 Players Who Scored Most Runs In SA20
The top 5 names from the table are familiar to all cricket fans. No matter what the format or league of cricket, they have proved themselves multiple times and are worth talking about more:
1. Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler, the right-handed English wicketkeeper-batsman, is one of the most disruptive batsmen of all time. We have seen his breathtaking performances entertaining us in international cricket and various T20 cricket leagues like IPL, and he did the same job in SA20 2023.
Playing for the Paarl Royals, he scored 391 runs in 11 matches with an average strike rate of 132. His highest score in the tournament was 70, which came in a crucial run-chase against Durban Super Giants, where his excellent inning under pressure led his team to victory.
Throughout the tournament, Buttler demonstrated exceptional class and consistency; he never scored below 20 in any match. He evidently dominated the tournament with his bat by scoring 391 runs, including 49 boundaries.
2. Faf du Plessis
The right-handed class batsman and the former captain of South Africa, Faf du Plessis, is considered to be one of the greatest players of all-format cricket. A couple of years have passed since he retired from international cricket. But still, he plays in domestic leagues and shows that he is still a world-class player.
In SA20, Faf du Plessis is in the squad of Johannesburg Super Kings. His experience and cricket skills were invaluable for the team, especially in tough situations. Du Plessis demonstrated his adaptability by playing both slow and aggressive cricket depending on the match situation.
Du Plessis wasn’t very far behind Buttler in scoring runs; he finished the tournament with 369 runs in 11 matches, with an average strike rate of 147. His highest score in the league was 113, which helped the team to win against Durban’s Super Giants.
3. Aiden Markram
The right-handed South African batsman Aiden Kyle Markram is one of the brightest talents in the cricket world. He is the current captain of Sunrisers Eastern Cape, the team did amazing and won the tournament last year under his captaincy. He is also the current captain of the T20 international team of South Africa and Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL. It was under his captaincy that the South African under-19 cricket team won the 2014 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
Markram is not only an amazing captain but also an exceptional batsman. He scored 366 runs in 12 matches with a strike rate of 128. His biggest knock of 100 came at the stage of the semifinal against Joburg Super Kings. His captaincy and performance with the bat helped the team to dominate the tournament.
4. Heinrich Klaasen
The right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper, Heinrich Claasen, has established his reputation in international cricket by playing for South Africa. While appreciating his great wicket-keeping skills, fans sometimes forget to mention how great a batsman he really is.
In SA20, he plays for Durban’s Super Giants. In the 10 matches he played, he scored 363 with an impressive strike rate of 164. Klaasen’s highest score of 104 came against the Pretoria Capitals, an inning that included 11 sixes.
5. Quinton de Kock
Here comes another South African batsman-wicketkeeper from the squad of Durban’s Super Giants, Quinton de Kock. The left-handed opener batsman keeps the bowlers under pressure with his explosive batting.
Despite having two most run-scorers in the team, Durban’s Super Giants couldn’t qualify for the semifinals. But no doubt that Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, and other players in the team entertained with some good performances.
Quinton de Kock scored 271 runs with an average strike rate of 151 in 10 matches and ended up being the fifth player with the most runs in the tournament. His highest score of 78 came against Joburg Super Kings, helping the team to win the match.
Looking Ahead
Choosing the best batsman from SA20 is a difficult task. Each of the players mentioned in this article is a great batsman. Looking ahead, as the SA20 second season is about to begin, fans are getting curious about who will be the player with the most runs this year. We would recommend you check out the SA20 2024 schedule so you won’t miss any matches. For more information, you can visit https://www.sa20.co.za/