SA20: South Africa's David Miller appointed Paarl Royals captain
Paarl Royals have appointed South Africa's David Miller as their captain for the inaugural SA20, South Africa's flagship T20 league. Miller was picked by the franchise in August, along with Jos Buttler, Obed McCoy, and Corbin Bosch. Miller is presently leading Barbados Royals in the 2022 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season. Earlier, the left-handed batter starred in IPL 2022 champions Gujarat Titans' campaign.
Why does this story matter?
Earlier this year, the owners of Rajasthan Royals purchased the Paarl Royals franchise in the impending SA20 league. Miller is also a part of CPL's Barbados Royals, which was also taken over by RR in 2021. He was named the captain ahead of the 2022 season. Notably, Miller, Buttler, McCoy, and Bosch have worked with the franchise owners before.
Immensely proud to join Paarl Royals: Miller
"It makes me immensely proud to have been appointed as the captain of the Paarl Royals. To be able to call it my home, gives me great joy. The people of Paarl and the Western Cape as a whole are great supporters of quality and entertaining cricket, and my ambition will be to lead the team in the right manner," said Miller.
Miller has a strike rate of 155.14 in CPL 2022
Miller's Barbados Royals presently top the Caribbean Premier League points table with six wins in seven matches. The South Africa batter has racked up 166 runs from six innings at a strike rate of 155.14 in their campaign so far.
Miller's heroics in IPL 2022
Miller's heroics helped newcomers Gujarat Titans flourish in IPL 2022. He helped the Hardik Pandya-led side win their maiden title. Miller racked up 481 runs from 16 matches at an incredible average of 68.71. He bolstered their middle order and struck at a brilliant 142.70. Miller, along with Rahul Tewatia, finished several matches for the Titans in the season.
Miller attained this feat
Out of Miller's 481 runs in IPL 2022, as many as 437 came at number five or lower. He finished with the most number of runs in an IPL season in this regard. Dinesh Karthik scored 472 runs at number five or lower in 2018.
A look at Miller's T20 stats
Earlier this year, Miller breached the 8,000-run mark in T20 cricket at the Indian Premier League. He became only the second South African cricketer after AB de Villiers (9,424) to have crossed this mark. Miller has racked up 8,750 runs from 401 T20s to date. He averages a laudable 36.00 and has a strike rate of 138.55.
