Cricket enthusiasts are in for a thrilling treat as the third season of the SA20 league is set to get underway on January 9. The high-octane South African T20 tournament has quickly established itself as one of the most exciting franchise leagues in the world, attracting some of the well-known international stars. 

A total of six teams are set to face one another in the tournament. The tournament will be kicked off with the mouthwatering clash between defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape and MI Cape Town on Thursday at St George's Park, Gqeberha.

The upcoming season will feature a host of global superstars who have been snapped up by the six competing franchises. Cricket enthusiasts can look forward to watching the likes of Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Joe Root lighting up the stage. South African stalwarts will also be eager to showcase their skills on home soil.

The six teams in the tournament are... MI Cape Town, Paarl Royals, Joburg Super Kings, Durban's Super Giants, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, and Pretoria Capitals.

Each team has bolstered its squad with strategic signings, aiming to outshine their competitors. 

Defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape will be looking to retain their title. Meanwhile, teams like MI Cape Town, Paarl Royals and Joburg Super Kings have invested heavily in all-rounders and power-hitters to strengthen their line-ups.

The tournament will span over five weeks, featuring 34 matches, including Qualifier 1, Eliminator, Qualifier 2 and Final. The season three will be played across six venues - (St George’s Park Gqeberha, Kingsmead Durban, Boland Park Paarl, The Wanderers Stadium Johannesburg, SuperSport Park Centurion and Newlands Cape Town).

Here the players making entry into SA20 2025:

Durban’s Super Giants: Shamar Joseph (WI), Brandon King (WI), CJ King, Kane Williamson (NZ), Chris Woakes (ENG).

Joburg Super Kings: Jonny Bairstow (ENG), Devon Conway (NZ), JP King, Matheesha Pathirana (SL)

MI Cape Town: Trent Boult (NZ), Tristan Luus, Azmatullah Omarzai (AFG), Dane Piedt

Paarl Royals: Sam Hain (ENG), Rubin Hermann, Dinesh Karthik (IND), Eshan Malinga (SL), Kwena Maphaka, Dewan Marais, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Joe Root (ENG), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (AFG), Dunith Wellalage (SL)

Pretoria Capitals: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (AFG), Evin Lewis (WI), Keagan Lion-Cachet, Will Smeed (ENG), Steve Stolk

Sunrisers Eastern Cape: David Bedingham, Okuhle Cele, Zak Crawley (ENG), Craig Overton (ENG), Daniel Smith

All squads (SA 2025)-: 

Paarl Royals: David Miller (c), Mitchell Van Buuren, Sam Hain, Joe Root, Dewan Marais, Dayyaan Galiem, Dunith Wellalage, Codi Yusuf, Andile Phehlukwayo, Rubin Hermann, Dinesh Karthik, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Keith Dudgeon, Bjorn Fortuin, Eshan Malinga, Kwena Maphaka, Nqabayomzi Peter, Lungi Ngidi.

MI Cape Town: Rashid Khan (c), Colin Ingram, Dewald Brevis, Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Thomas Kaber, George Linde, Delago, Potgieter, Corbin Bosch, Azmatullah Omarzai, Connor Esterhuizen, Chris Benjamin, Ryan Rickelton, Trent Boult, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Nuwan Thushara

Pretoria Capitals: Wayne Parnell (c), Marques Ackerman, Evin Lewis, Steve Stolk, Tiaan van Vuuren, Rilee Rossouw, Will Smeed, Liam Livingstone, Will Jacks, Senuran Muthusamy, James Neesham, Kyle Simmonds, Migael Pretorius, Keagan Lion Cachet, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Kyle Verreynne, Anrich Nortje, Daryn Dupavillon, Eathan Bosch.

Joburg Super Kings: Faf Du Plessis (c), Leus de Plooy, Evan Jones, Sibonelo Makhanya, Moeen Ali, Wihan Lubbe, David Wiese, JP King, Jonny Bairstow, Devon Conway, Donovan Ferreira, Matheesha Pathirana, Tabraiz Shamsi, Gerald Coetzee, Doug Bracewell, Beuran Hendricks, Imran Tahir, Maheesh Theekshana, Hardus Viljoen.

Sunrisers Eastern Cape: Aiden Markram (c), Zak Crawley, Jordan Hermann, Tom Abell, Liam Dawson, Marco Jansen, Patrick Kruger, Craig Overton, David Bedingham, Daniel Smith, Tristan Stubbs, Okuhle Cele, Simon Harmer, Ottneil Baartman, Richard Gleeson, Caleb Seleka, Andile Simelane, Beyers Swanepoel, Roelof van der Merwe.

Durban Super Giants: Keshav Maharaj (c), Brandon King, Kane Williamson, Jason Smith, JJ Smuts, Marcus Stoinis, Christopher King, Wiaan Mulder, Chris Woakes, Dwaine Pretorius, Prenelan Subrayen, Bryce Parsons, Quinton de Kock, Matthew Breetzke, Heinrich Klaasen, Shamar Joseph, Noor Ahmad, Naveen ul-Haq, Junior Dala.