Sourav Ganguly received SA20 offer last year, met Graeme Smith during WTC Final at Lord's and told him...

Over the last couple of months, Ganguly has addressed the possibilities of foraying into a coaching role, and on August 24, the former India captain took baby steps towards realising his dream. Having gone through contrasting experiences with two very different coaches – John Wright and Greg Chappell – Ganguly will surely use those learnings when he steps into his maiden coaching role with the Pretoria Capitals in the 4th season of the SA20.

The news of Ganguly joining PC was kept under wraps. Not many were aware, and hence, the announcement took quite a few people by surprise. But the fact is, Ganguly was approached by the franchise last season itself when the Capitals still operated under Jonathan Trott. Pretoria endured a tough couple of seasons, finishing second from bottom in both the 2024 and 2025 editions. Shaking things up was the need of the hour. Ganguly took time, finalised and conveyed his decision to league commissioner Graeme Smith on the sidelines of the World Test Championship Final at Lord's in June.

"In and around the World Test Championship final, Dada told me that he was going to be coaching this year. He has been involved with the Capitals, Director of Cricket, among other things. Last year, he was asked, even though Jonathan Trott was here coaching. We saw Dada on countless occasions in and around learning. For us, it's exciting to have the quality of Dada as a coach," the SA20 commissioner, Smith, said, replying to a query from The Hindustan Times.

"The quality of coaches across the board actually is exciting. It's an exposure for our players to the great minds of the game. Look, Dada is going to come in and do things his own way. PC did not have the greatest years last season, but I am sure he will be motivated at the auction to bring quality players forward."

The SA20 had already welcomed Indian participation when Dinesh Karthik joined the Paarl Royals last year. With Ganguly on board, the path is now clear for more Indian coaches to join the league in South Africa.

Will Dewald Brevis make history at the auction?

South Africa's finest, along with a host of global stars, will headline the SA20 Season 4 Player Auction in Johannesburg on September 9. More than 500 players will go under the gavel as the six franchises complete their 19-member squads ahead of the season, which begins on December 26. Of the 541 names in the pool, 300 are South Africans, with Dewald Brevis already tipped to make history at the auction. After making his debut in 2023, Brevis needed some time to get the hang of things, but now that he has, a fierce bidding war is almost certain at the auction. Brevis' real breakthrough came recently in T20Is for South Africa, where he smashed an unbeaten 125 in Darwin, followed by a blistering 53 in Cairns.

At just 22, Brevis has already tasted top-tier T20 competition, turning out for Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, and for MI New York in the SA20. If the IPL has taught one lesson, it's that when a franchise identifies a player as the right fit, price is never a barrier. With marquee names like Tristan Stubbs, Aiden Markram, and Brevis himself in the mix, Graeme Smith couldn’t be happier to see the youngster finally step out of the 'Baby AB' shadow.

"It's great to see Dewald really starting to find his feet. It's incredible to think how young he still is. When he came onto the scene, he had this huge talent, and many people spoke about it. It took him time, but he seems to have settled and found his style and what works for him. Certainly, he is a dynamic cricketer all around - he is brilliant in the field, he’s got power off his bat, and he runs extremely well between the wickets. He is fit and an asset for South African cricket," Smith added.

"Among others, he's going to be a few big stories in the auction. The first 2-3 marquee lists are going to be interesting to watch, and I think Brevis is one of them. What makes this even more interesting is that he has sort of changed allegiances in the IPL and various other things. Certainly, all six franchises with big purses will be looking at him."

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