From coaching staff to internationally acclaimed stars, Durban’s Super Giants’ SA20 roster was jam-packed with talent this season, but the boys in blue folded out of the tournament with a dismal 12 points in 10 matches.
While head coach Lance Klusener may have shuffled the deck a bit in terms of an inconsistent batting order throughout the tournament, the DSG batters lacked the fire-power found in the Paarl Royals and MI Cape Town line-ups this season.
Klusener said last month that he was worried that the team weren’t building momentum toward the latter part of the tournament, as he has seen in his experience as a T20 coach in franchise and international cricket.
Durban started off with a bang in their first match, putting 209 runs on the board against Pretoria Capitals on January 10. The next time they scored higher than 150 was in their last match against Joburg Super Kings on Saturday.
“Normally you pick up speed at some stage, but we haven’t – so, that’s been a disappointment. I thought we were a little bit off and left a little bit too much to do for the next guy coming in, but it goes like that sometimes... that’s sport,” Klusener said after their loss to Cape Town.
Looking back at the season that was 🫡 pic.twitter.com/HUIHPe77OT
— Durban's Super Giants (@DurbansSG) February 5, 2025
DSG needed their opening pair to crack on like Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Joe Root or Rassie van der Dussen and Ryan Rickelton did if they stood a chance at making another final.
But match-winning operators like Quinton de Kock found himself playing musical chairs in the batting order this season, bringing unnecessary pressure onto the Super Giants line-up.
Another star attraction with much promise, Kane Williamson, did not bring his wealth of experience toward the second half of the tournament.
The New Zealand stalwart also gave his wicket away cheaply a number of times, causing the middle order to crumble.
Williamson was, however, instrumental during their opening match against the Capitals, showing the poise that made him a good signing in the first place as he struck 60 not out off 40 balls.
Bryce Parsons and Matthew Breetzke also got off to good starts in the opening game. Brandon King was Durban’s alternate opening choice, but neither of the men swung for the fence from the get-go to give their team a boost.
“The quality of batting we have is outstanding. Unfortunately, batting is not played on paper – it’s played on a surface,” Klusener said previously.
Durban’s biggest attraction as a franchise, Heinrich Klaasen, also struggled with his form this season.
The Proteas big-hitter looked visibly anguished during the middle part of the season, slouching his shoulders after he let history repeat itself.
Klaasen got out twice, consecutively, in the same manner – gifting two catches to his opponents.
But 2024’s top batsman found a bit of that Season 2 magic in his last few games, putting up consecutive half-centuries on the board. It was, however, a little too late for Durban.
The attacking and explosive DSG side that made the 2024 final did not seem to show up to bat this season, but their bowling line-up did.
From captain Keshav Maharaj to Noor Ahmad, the Giants bowlers played the tournament more than decently.
Ahmad was destructively clinical with his wrist spin, confusing the best of hitters this season. Current standings put him in third place for the leading wicket-takers, with 13 scalps in 10 matches.
Maharaj picked up eight wickets in his 10 matches, and is the only other Durban bowler to crack the top 20 in the best bowler list.
Klusener said he watched 20-year-old Afghan spinner Ahmad quickly grow into a world-class bowler, and the spinner took a best of 4/25 in four overs this season.
“He has been difficult to pick through the air, and I think now many batters can read him,” Klusener said.