David Miller, one of the two South Africans the Paarl Royals signed before to the auction, has been named captain.
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.
“Being named the Paarl Royals’ captain fills me with the utmost pride. It makes me really happy to be able to call it home. My goal will be to guide the team in the correct direction and provide our supporters with innumerable memories to support their team. The people of Paarl and the Western Cape as a whole are strong supporters of high-quality and entertaining cricket. With guys like Jos, Obed, and Corbin already on board, we already have some of the best cricketers around, and I am looking forward to working with an exciting group of players to begin our SA20 journey “David Miller said.
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 himself.”
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.
