We are three-quarters of the way through, and some players have already lit up the league. Here are the top performers. three-quarters
He switched to red in India, but now, Faf du Plessis is busy in yellow in the SA20. Yesterday, the JSK skipper roared with his first ton in yellow, becoming the first centurion of the league in doing so. The Protea has scored 277 runs in 7 innings at an average of 46.17 so far, and is only behind Jos Buttler on the top scorers list. He can surely get the scoreboard ticking quick, just as he did in his quickfire 51 of 22 against Pretoria. The 38 year old has also been a gun in the field, pulling off superhuman efforts and proving that age is just a number. His teammate Donavon Ferreira backs him to be the top run scorer; we'll see how that goes.
Roelof van der Merwe
6 matches. 14 wickets. 7.79 runs conceded on average per wicket. At an economy of 4.74. Best bowling of 6/20. If that doesn't tell you how good the South Africa born-Dutchman was, I don't know what else will. He, too, is 38 and is also atop the highest wicket takers; the oldies are for sure turning it on this time. He's been running through batting orders, destroying batters and painting the pitches orange, the colour that he is most associated with, and it all seems so phenomenal.
Will Jacks
Will Jacks has got the most sixes, best strike rate and the joint most fifties so far; no wonder the Pretoria Capitals have been sitting on the top of the table. His campaign started with a 7, but as the tournament progressed, he has become Pretoria's ace card as a reliable Powerplay aggressor. That doesn't mean he can't score big runs; his 92 is only second to Faf's ton in the highest scores. His 270 runs come at a strike rate of 201.49, so you can say you've got a pocket Suryakumar Yadav here. One thing SKY can't do, however, is roll his fingers. The Brit has picked 3 wickets as a part timer in the last 2 matches, so things only seem to be getting better for him.
Aiden Markram
Leading a new franchise is a difficult job, and even more so if your team is an underdog. But Aiden Markram embraced the challenge and led from the front so far, scoring 200 runs and picking 8 wickets so far. The southpaw has been very economical thus far, conceding only about 6.37 runs per over. He is the anchor of the Sunrisers EC's ship, and everyone in Port Elizabeth will surely want him to continue his purple patch.
Jos Buttler
Jos the Boss is back in pink, and he has been a rock for the Royals' batting line up. Having amassed 285 runs so far, he sits atop the highest run scorers. Many a time, Jos pulled up the anchor when his team was on the verge of a collapse. He is not so used to the two paced pitches in SA, but who needs good pitches when they are Jos Buttler? Dominating is not new for England's white-ball skipper, who won the orange cap in IPL earlier last year. The Paarl fans surely will want him to replicate the same.
Gerald Coetzee
A few eyebrows were raised at JSK when they picked Gerald Coetzee as their young player. But the 22 year old blew away all critics with his performances. Coetzee has the best strike rate so far in the tournament, getting a wicket every 9.09 balls, and picked 11 wickets total in 5 matches. He has been Faf's go to man for breaking partnerships. The Protea can bowl in the powerplay, middle or slog overs, making him a versatile option and definitely one to watch out for in the future.
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