In the end, we stumbled in our final hurdle in SA20 2024 but still, what a season it was! From falling short of making the knockout rounds last year to making it all the way to the grand finale this time, we took a huge step forward in the right direction.
Despite the final heartbreak against Sunrisers, SA20 2024 was a memorable journey for the boys, one which we took with our loyal fans, our tribe, by our side.
Setting the emotions aside, we were one of the best teams statistically this season with the entire squad pitching in with stellar performances in our march to the final.
We posted 200+ scores on four occasions this season, more than any other team. Our 125-run win over Paarl Royals in Kingsmead was also the biggest victory (by runs) recorded by any team this season.
Here’s the list of our top scorers and wicket-takers from the season.
Top run scorers for DSG in SA20 2024
- Heinrich Klaasen - 447 runs in 13 matches (avg 40.63)
- Matthew Breetzke - 416 runs in 13 matches (avg 32.00)
- JJ Smuts - 298 runs in 12 matches (avg 27.09)
- Wiaan Mulder - 297 runs in 12 matches (avg 37.12)
- Quinton de Kock - 213 runs in 12 matches (avg 19.36)
Top wicket takers for DSG in SA20 2024
- Keshav Maharaj - 15 wickets in 13 matches (avg 20.46)
- Junior Dala - 13 wickets in 5 matches (avg 13.76)
- Reece Topley - 13 wickets in 12 matches (avg 25.30)
- Noor Ahmad - 12 wickets in 6 matches (avg 11.33)
- Marcus Stoinis - 10 wickets in 5 matches (avg 12.80)
There were some standout individual performances on show too. Just take a look.
Heinrich Klaasen
Our top scorer Klaasen finished as the second-highest scorer in SA20 2024 after MI Cape Town’s Ryan David Rickelton (530 runs in 10 matches). However, in terms of pure impact and match-winning knocks, he was in a league of his own, which rightfully won him the Player and Batter of the Season awards.
Klaasie also finished with the most number of sixes (37) in the competition - three more than second-placed Rickleton. He also boasted of the highest strike rate in SA20 2024 with an astonishing 207.90.
His four half centuries this season also make him the second-best in terms of most 50+ scores registered by a batsman. Only Rickleton, with five, had more.
A fiery 16-ball 50 against Paarl Royals in Durban also saw Klaasen pocket the record for the fastest half-century in SA20 history. He was a big contributor on the field too, with his nine catches tying him with Patrick Kruger and Aiden Markram at the top of the leaderboard.
Noor Ahmad
The Afghan magician played only six times for us this season, but captivated everyone with his mesmerizing spells.
With 11.33, the 19-year-old had the best bowling average in the competition while his economy rate of 5.82 was the second-best behind Wihan Lubbe’s 5.66. Lubbe, however, bowled only nine overs and picked up two wickets compared to Noor’s 12 scalps in 23.2 overs.
Noor’s 5/11 against PR in Kingsmead was also the best bowling figures recorded in the second season of SA20.
In fact, only three bowlers managed a fifer in SA20 2024 and two of them came from the Super Giants camp. Junior Dala, with 5/26 against Pretoria Capitals, was the other.
Needless to say, Noor’s absence at the business end of the season was a big blow for us.
Keshav Maharaj
In his maiden season as our captain, Keshav Maharaj not only led from the front but also spearheaded our bowling attack. In fact, most of our captain fantastic’s 15 wickets this season came at crucial junctures when we needed a breakthrough the most.
Additionally, Smuts and Breetzke’s maturity with the bat formed the spine of our run to the final while Reece Topley and Naveen ul-Haq’s consistency with the ball deserves a lot of credit.
An interesting stat while we’re on Topley. The Englishman bowled the most maidens in the SA 20 2024 campaign - two.
Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran’s cameos and Junior Dala’s incredible rise when called upon in the latter half of the campaign were some of the other big highlights for us.
And finally, our fans were the most passionate and loudest of them all, by a distance. Well, there are no stats to back up the claim, but we know!
