South Africa's T20 Global League announces final team squads

Cape Town: In a defining moment for South Africa`s inaugural edition of T20 Global League, the Main Player Draft was held in Cape Townon Sunday, with 32 international players and 96 local players picked by the various franchises.

With big names lining up to play and coach in the tournament, it was no surprise the cream of the cricketing world attended the event.

Each franchise had already been allocated both a big-name marquee Protea player and an international marquee player, but the remaining 16 squad spots were filled last evening.

With cricket fans across the world watching and waiting with anticipation, the Main Player Draft saw another 16 players picked per squad, over 16 rounds, with eight selected picks in each round.

Each franchise owner was asked to make their pick during the live event, with the first three players chosen being South African. Protea all-rounder Chris Morris was the very first pick by the Durban Qalandars, followed by Protea bowler Dane Paterson by Bloem City Blazers, and explosive Protea bowler Dale Steyn makes a return to the game for the Cape Town Knight Riders.

Aiden Markram, 22, who went to the Nelson Mandela Bay Stars, was the first rookie to be picked, in round two. He was closely followed by fellow South Africans Wiaan Mulder, 19, selected by the Stellenbosch Monarchs, and Jason Smith, 22, picked by the Cape Town Knight Riders.

Akhona Mnyaka, an 18-year-old SA Schools player from Hudson Park in East London, became the youngest player in the draw when he was picked by the Bloemfontein City Blazers.

The resulting teams are a unique blend of both local youth and international experience which is sure to make for some very exciting cricket later this year.

The Draft order was predetermined by a weighted Player Matrix system and audited by EY. The players who are eligible for the main Draft are those who entered into a binding agreement to enter the Draft.