SA20 Will Make Up For Few T20I Games Ahead Of T20 World Cup: Kagiso Rabada

The SA20 fourth season will commence on December 26 and will run till January 25, 2026. With the T20 World Cup (February 7 to March 8) soon following the franchise league, the South African players are at a major advantage. Pacer Kagiso Rabada said the upcoming SA20 gives him a wonderful opportunity to get some valuable game time ahead of next year's T20 World Cup. Rabada missed the action during South Africa's recent tour to India because of a rib injury, but the MI Cape Town player now wants to sharpen his skills in the fourth edition of SA20.

"Yeah, it's a fantastic opportunity to get games under your belt and get used to the flow of T20 cricket. We haven't really played much T20 cricket this year. So yeah, it's going to be a great tournament," Rabada said during a JioStar Press Room ahead of SA20 Season 4.

Rabada believes that playing in different conditions across South Africa during the league will pose a healthy challenge for players ahead of the ICC showpiece.

"I think the teams this season have balanced out really well. In the previous three seasons, the management and the people who are responsible for picking the teams have figured out what it takes to do well in South Africa with the varying conditions around the country.

"So, those are the challenges-playing well in the different regions of the country. And as a bowler, how you need to adjust to that. The batters are looking strong and it's really exciting. So, it's going to be fantastic prep, I guess, if chosen for the World Cup," said Rabada.

South Africa's T20 captain Aiden Markram, who will be leading Durban Super Giants in this edition of the SA20, concurred with Rabada's views.

"Naturally, it's great that we'll be playing T20 cricket literally up until days before the World Cup starts. But I don't think you want to be putting too much energy into your SA20 teams and asking guys to worry about the World Cup," he said.

"It's two completely separate events and I think it's important that the players treat it that way. When we get to the World Cup, guys would have had a lot of T20 games under their belt. So, hopefully, there's some good confidence and good form that we can take forward and take care of the World Cup when we get to Indian shores," said Markram.

# Catch all the action from SA20 Season 4, December 26 2025 - January 25 2026, LIVE on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network

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