The inaugural season of the South African Premier League successfully entertained cricket fans worldwide. After defeating the Pretoria Capitals in the final match, the Sunrisers Eastern Cape became the first team to lift the SA20 trophy. It was an exciting tournament with great performances from teams and individual players. Here in this article, we will look at the SA20 2023 winners and the awards distributed.
SA20 2023 Overview
A total of six teams participated in SA20 2023. The tournament consisted of 33 matches, with the first one played on January 10, 2023, and the final match scheduled for February 11. The Pretoria Capitals, Joburg Super Kings, Paarl Royals, and Sunrisers Eastern Cape were the top four teams in the points table, qualifying for the playoffs.
In the first semi-final, played on February 8 at the Wanderers Stadium, the Pretoria Capitals defeated the Paarl Royals, securing their spot in the finals. In the second semi-final, held a day later at the SuperSport Park, the Sunrisers Eastern Cape defeated the Joburg Super Kings, moving one step closer to the trophy. Before looking at the details of the final match, let’s take a look at the overview of the tournament:
| Tournament | SA20 2023 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 10 January – 12 February 2023 |
| Matches | 33 |
| Format | T20 |
| Participants | 6 |
| Host | South Africa |
| Champions | Sunrisers Eastern Cape |
| Runners-up | Pretoria Capitals |
| Official website | sa20.co.za |
Final Match: SA20 2023 Winners
The final match was scheduled to be played between the Sunrisers Eastern Cape and the Pretoria Capitals on February 11, 2023, at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. However, due to rain, the match was rescheduled to the reserve day, February 12. Despite this postponement, fans remained excited and once again filled the stadium in large numbers.
The Sunrisers Eastern Cape won the toss and invited the Pretoria Capitals to bat first. The batting unit of the Capitals failed to set a big target, they were all out at 135 runs. With the help of Adam Rossington’s innings of 57 runs, the Sunrisers easily chased down the target in the 17th over, winning the match by 4 wickets.
Roelof van der Merwe was the hero of the match, he dismissed 4 players in his 4 overs spell. He was awarded two prestigious awards that day: the Man of the Match and the Bowler of the Season. While fans didn’t expect a one-sided match, it turned out to be an amazing night, especially for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape fans who witnessed their team lifting the trophy.
Awards and Prize Money
SA20 is the biggest franchise cricket league in South Africa, with a prize pool of R70 million (USD 4 million). The champions, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, received R34 million. Other participating teams also received prize money based on their position in the points table. Here are the exact details:
| Teams | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| Sunrisers Eastern Cape | R34 million |
| Pretoria Capitals | R16.25 million |
| Joburg Super Kings | R8.9 million |
| Paarl Royals | R7.85 million |
| Durban Super Giants | R2.5 million |
| MI Cape Town | R2 million |
The SA20 2023 winners Sunrisers Eastern Cape not only lifted the champions’ trophy but also got the Spirit of Cricket Team award for their sportsmanship. Apart from the teams, individual best-performing players were also awarded.
- The Batter of the Season (R200,000): The right-hand opening batsman Jos Buttler scored 391 runs in the tournament playing for the Paarl Royals and was at the top of the list of players with the most runs in SA20.
- The Bowler of the Season (R200,000): The Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s left-arm spin bowler Roelof van der Merwe with 20 wickets was at the top of the list of players with the most wickets in the SA20.
- The Rising Star (R100,000): Eathan Bosch contributed with both bat and bowl. Playing for the runner-up team Pretoria Capitals, he took 15 wickets and scored 90 runs in the tournament.
- The Player of the Season (R350,000): The captain of Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Aiden Markram was proven to be the most valuable player in the tournament. Apart from great leadership, he also scored 366 runs and picked up 11 wickets.