Mumbai Indians Cape Town have announced the new captain for the upcoming SA20 season. Rashid Khan, the leader of Afghanistan's national cricket team, will captain the team at the tournament, which will be played early next year.
Rashid Khan captained Mumbai Cape Town Indians in SA20 season 1. But the all-rounder missed his second league season with a back injury. He was decent with the ball in the season as he picked nine wickets at an average of 30.0 and an economy of under 7.
Rashid Khan's presence will be a massive boost for Mumbai Cape Town Indians
Rashid Khan's presence will be a massive boost for Mumbai Cape Town Indians. His leadership will be extremely important for the team as he played an important role for the Afghanistan National Cricket Team as the skipper in the T20 World Cup 2024.
Under Rashid's leadership, the Afghanistan National Cricket Team was a force to be reckoned with in the T20 World Cup 2024. They reached the semi-final of the tournament for the first time in history, before losing to South Africa in the knockout match.
Rashid would have hoped to maintain the same confidence and help Mumbai Cape Town Indians win their maiden league title. The leg-spinner would like to lead from the front and lead the team to glory in the third season of the SA20.
There's a bit of unfinished business for MI Cape Town after a tough couple of seasons – MI Cape Town statement on Rashid Khan
Mumbai Indians Cape Town released the official statement highlighting its impact on cricket in Afghanistan. The franchise talked about Rashid Khan's opportunity to lift the title after two tough seasons. The statement read:
“Afghan powerhouse, thorn wizard, game changer. With quick, quick arm speed and a complete departure from the old leg-spin bowling techniques, he put Afghanistan right on the cricketing map, unleashing batsmen left, right and centre.
“We missed him in the previous SA20 season after a back injury kept him out of action, but he is back in the captaincy role. There is quite a bit of unfinished business for MI Cape Town after a few tough seasons.
“2025 offers us our redemption and we trust captain Rashid Khan to keep his eyes on the silverware. Let's bring the sparkle to Cape Town, Captain Rashid!”
Rashid Khan will lead the superstar-studded squad in SA20 2025
Rashid will lead the team full of superstars of Ben Stokes, Trent Boult, Kagiso Rabada and others. The last two seasons have been tough for Mumbai Cape Town Indians and they are hoping to turn things around this time and win the title.
In Rashid's absence last year, Kieron Pollard captained the team. However, it was not a fruitful outing for him as they finished last on the points table. And in the inaugural edition they met the same fate where they finished last on the points table.