Quinton de Kock and Ottneil Baartman feature in the Team of the Season [Source: SunrisersEC, ABsay_ek/X.com]The SA20 2025/26 season ended on a thrilling note on Sunday evening, with the Tristan Stubbs-led Sunrisers Eastern Cape emerging as the champions for the third time in four seasons, courtesy of a captain’s knock from Stubbs under pressure alongside Matthew Breetzke. The clash between the SEC and Pretoria Capitals featured several players like Quinton de Kock and Dewald Brevis, who were among the top performers throughout the course of the fourth season of the tournament, raising the entertainment quotient to the next level. On the other hand, players like Ottniel Baartman, who was the top-wicket taker, missed out on the final after his team’s loss in Qualifier 2. Here’s a brief look at the list of top performers who make it to the team of the season. SA20 2025/26: Team of the Season Top-order batters: Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickleton and Dewald Brevis Two of the top-3 run-scorers of this season’s SA20, de Kock and Ryan Rickleton, open the batting for this team of the season, with de Kock picked as a wicketkeeper as well. The senior-pro was the leading run-scorer with 390 in 11 innings, striking at a rate of 148.85 and four fifties to his name. Rickleton was third highest scorer with 337 runs in 9 innings, which includes 2 tons at a strike rate of 156.01. The number 3 batter, Dewald Brevis, walks into the team, courtesy of his knocks in the last three matches under crunch situations. He got two fifties and a hundred at the business end of the season to end with 370 runs in 11 innings, striking at 156.11. Middle-order batters: Aiden Markram (c), Jordan Hermann, Sherfane Rutherford Aiden Markram, who started the season at 4 and ended it as an opener to score a total of 309 runs in 7 innings, striking at 152.97, seals the number 4 spot, thanks to his flexibility. He was also among the top-5 scorers of the season. He will also be the captain of this side. At number 5, Jordan Hermann, who was named the rising star of the tournament. He scored 273 runs in 10 innings, striking at 137.18 and a 62*(28). The player who caps off the middle-order is the explosive Caribbean bat Sherfane Rutherford, who was equally important as Brevis in the Capitals’ line-up. He scored 334 runs in 10 innings at an average of 66.80 and a strike rate of 165.34 with two fifties. Despite his heroics in the final, Stubbs misses out on this line-up due to a lack of consistency and big game performances.All-rounders: Sikandar Raza and Marco Jansen The aggressive lower-middle order batter and off-spin bowler, Sikandar Raza, was the third-highest wicket-taker of the season, with 15 scalps in 10 innings, including a 4/13. He was instrumental in taking the team to the playoffs for his economy rate of 7.36. With the bat, he only got 118 runs, but it included a couple of crucial cameos like a last-ball six finish against DSG, scoring 27* (13). Marco Jansen was the joint-fourth highest wicket-taker this season, with 13 scalps, at an incredible economy rate of 6.49 and also shifted the momentum of the final with a double-wicket maiden in the 19th over, finishing the spell with a season best of 3/10. With the bat, he scored a brisk 77 runs at a strike rate of 140 in 6 innings. Bowlers – Nqobani Mokoena, Anrich Nortje and Ottniel Baartman The 19-year-old quick bowler was one of the finds of this season for PR for his ability to bounce back upon being attacked and pick wickets at a strike rate of 14.7. He picked 13 wickets in 9 innings to help the Paarl Royals to reach Qualifier 2. His best figures came against the eventual champions with 4/34. To partner the youngster in the XI are two leading wicket-takers of the season, Anrich Nortje and Ottniel Baartman, who got 18 and 20 wickets, respectively. Nortje was crucial in the SEC’s final win with 1/19, and his best spell came against PR with 4/13. He also had an economy of just 7.01. Upon missing the T20 World Cup, Baartman notably took one hat-trick in this season in his 5/16 (4) vs PC and ended the season with a strike rate of 8.90 and average of 13.55 to make a big statement. SA20 Team of the Season 2025/26 - Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickleton, Dewald Brevis, Aiden Markram (c), Jordan Hermann, Sherfane Rutherford, Sikandar Raza, Marco Jansen, Nqobani Mokoena, Anrich Nortje, Ottniel Baarman.
