Nortje is now a Knight Rider
Cape Town Blitz fast bowler Anrich Nortje was sold to the Kolkata Knight Riders at Tuesday’s Indian Premier League player auction.
Nortje impressed throughout the opening fixtures of the inaugural Mzansi Super League last month when he opened the bowling alongside Proteas fast bowler Dale Steyn, but was later sidelined by injury.
‘Anrich really gets me excited. We have a rich history of fast bowlers in this country. He is not going to have a lot of matches televised when he is playing for the Warriors. He could be a multi-millionaire by the end of December when the IPL auction gets under way,’ said Steyn.
He will work in the 2019 IPL alongside former Proteas all-rounder Jacques Kallis, who is the head coach of the Knight Riders – favourites for the title among sportsbetting online punters.
‘This auction will be a lot less work, but still important. We need back-up players, because it’s a World Cup year, and we need back-up players for those guys who might be leaving for the World Cup,’ said Kallis earlier this year.
‘We need to be smart about how we go about our choices. I’m happy with the balance of the side. We have good spinners and are looking at some more pace bowlers now. Our bowling unit can adapt well.’
Ex-Proteas batsman Rilee Rossouw, meanwhile, went unsold. Rossouw was also part of the recent MSL in South Africa, where he represented the Tshwane Spartans. Fellow Kolpak cricketer Hardus Viljoen was purchased by the Kings XI Punjab.
Steyn goes without a contract
South African fast bowler Dale Steyn was not bought in the first or second round of Tuesday’s Indian Premier League player auction in Jaipur.
Steyn represented the Deccan Chargers, Gujarat Lions, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad in previous editions of the IPL, but failed to secure a franchise for the 2019 tournament.
He impressed for the Cape Town Blitz in the recent Mzansi Super League.
Proteas batsmen Reeza Hendricks and Hashim Amla were also overlooked. Hendricks struck consecutive centuries for the Jozi Stars in the recent Mzansi Super League, while Amla endured a poor stretch of form for the Durban Heat.
While batsman Alex Hales and all-rounders Chris Woakes and Chris Jordan were ignored, fellow Englishmen Sam Curran and Jonny Bairstow were purchased by the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab respectively.