The road to the fourth edition of the SA20 begins as T20 Challenge gets underway on Wednesday

With the fourth edition of the SA20 about two months away, domestic players will have an opportunity to hone their skills before the big show starts as the Cricket South Africa T20 Challenge gets underway on Wednesday, October 29. 

The tournament will run until November, 30 which is less than a month away from the first fixture of the SA20, which will see the defending champions MI Cape Town take on Durban’s Super Giants on Boxing Day at Newlands in Cape Town.

To get the T20 Challenge underway, last season’s runners-up, the Titans, will travel to Pietermaritzburg to take on the Division One newbies, the Tuskers, at the City Oval.

Following what has been a dismal start to the season for the Centurion-based Titans, which saw them lose all four of their Four-Day Series fixtures, the Titans will be hoping to turn their season around and start well in the T20 Challenge.

Titans batter Keegan Lion-Cachet, a highly rated T20 batter, will be one to look out for, having impressed for the Pretoria Capitals in the third season of the SA20.

Now with the Paarl Royals, Lion-Cachet will aim to use the T20 Challenge to get form under the belt in time for the big show, the SA20.

Captain Neil Brand and other senior players within the Titans squad will be there to guide the youngster as he continues his rise in Division One cricket.

Brand acknowledged the blend of youth and experience in their T20 Challenge squad and reiterated their desperado to start the campaign well, having not won a single match in Division One in the new season.

“We’ve got a slightly different-looking squad this year, with exciting young talent mixed with experience, and we’re keen to make an impact from the start,” Brand said.

“Last season’s loss was disappointing, but we take a lot of confidence from the way we played. Our focus is to play a positive, attacking brand of cricket. To keep putting teams under pressure and take the strong option.

“We want to let the youth express themselves while maintaining calm heads in key moments. Getting off to a good start is vital in a short group phase, and the squad is ready and raring to go.”

The encounter between the Titans and Tuskers is scheduled to get underway at 12 pm, while the North West Dragons will host the Warriors at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom, with that clash set to get underway at 1.30 pm.