The Paarl Royals, a team owned by Royals Sports Group, announced on Sunday that David Miller, a seasoned South African batter, has been named captain of the inaugural season of Cricket South Africa’s T20 league, SA20, which begins in January 2023.
The 33-year-old, one of two South Africans signed by the squad before the auction, has been granted the skipper position by the Paarl-based franchise. Miller recently served as captain of South Africa (in a 3-match T20I series in August against England) and the Barbados Royals in the upcoming Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season. Miller had a fantastic IPL 2022 season, helping Gujarat Titans win the trophy in their first attempt.
Miller has a tonne of experience under his belt and has been one of the game’s most reliable finishers, scoring more than 8600 runs in just over 400 T20 matches at a strike rate of just over 138. He is clearly thrilled to be captaining the Royals in his native nation.
Related Posts
“It makes me immensely proud to have been appointed as the captain of the Paarl Royals. To be able to call it my home gives me great joy. The people of Paarl and the Western Cape are great supporters of quality and entertaining cricket, and my ambition will be to lead the team in the right manner and give our fans countless memories of cheering their team on. We already have some top cricketers on board with the likes of Jos, Obed and Corbin, and I am looking forward to working with an exciting set of players to start this SA20 journey,” Miller expressed.
JP Duminy, the head coach and a former national team teammate of Miller’s, stated, “David is one of the most enthusiastic players you will ever meet, and we will benefit much from his ability to assess the situation. We have seen him use his killer instinct to finish games for his team over the past year or so, both for South Africa and in the IPL. As a result, we are thrilled to have such a seasoned player as our captain—and, more significantly, someone who can maintain composure under pressure. We will collaborate closely with him as well as the other members of the leadership team, notably Jos (Buttler), who is an experienced player.”
The Paarl Royals will enter the player auction on September 19, 2022, with four players already secured: captain David Miller, explosive star opener Jos Buttler, shrewd pacer Obed McCoy, and capable all-arounder Corbin Bosch. All of these players have strong ties to the Royals through their partner franchises.
