SA20 2025: Paarl Royals Rope in Joe Root; Ben Stokes Set to Sign For MI Cape Town

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SA20 2025 is likely to see two top England Test stars make their debut in the tournament as Ben Stokes is reportedly set to follow Joe Root in signing up for a team ahead of the upcoming season.

England's premier batter Root, who earlier represented Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL), is set for a royal return after he was roped in by the Paarl Royals, the franchise announced last week.

Following the signing of Root, Royals' Director of Cricket, Kumar Sangakkara was thrilled to have the England batter back in the Royals Family and added the player brings his all-round game to the team.

"We all know what a phenomenal player Joe Root is, and to have him back at the Royals is a great feeling. He has been a great contributor to all the teams he has represented over the years, and has also proven to be a valuable all-rounder with his bowling and fielding attributes," Sangakkara was quoted as saying in a release.

"As we saw during IPL 2023 and have also seen over the years, he is also a great team man, and has the ability to help his teammates develop both on and off the field. We are looking forward to using his expertise, his personality, his brains, and also his performances on the field to strive towards a successful SA20 season in 2025."

The 33-year-old Root has featured in 105 T20s, having enjoyed stints in major franchise T20 Leagues such as the Indian Premier League (Rajasthan Royals), Australia's Big Bash (Sydney Thunder) and the ILT20 (Dubai Capitals). Now, he is set for SA20 action next year.

With England not playing any Tests in the January-February window next year, reports have emerged that the country's red-ball captain Stokes is also going to join Root in making his SA20 debut.

According to a report in the Telegraph, MI Cape Town, the sister franchise of Mumbai Indians, have offered a substantial contract to Stokes for the upcoming season of SA20.

The England Test captain has been away from the limited-overs format since the ODI World Cup 2023 and made himself unavailable for the T20 World Cup this year as he focussed on preparing for the longest format of the game.

Stokes, who is back bowling for England, had earlier fetched a whopping Rs 16.25 Crore from Chennai Super Kings ahead of the IPL 2023, but made limited appearances for the IPL side and opted out of the auction for IPL 2024.