SA T20 League: JP Duminy Chosen as Head Coach of Paarl Royals

JP Duminy, a former South African all-rounder, has been chosen as head coach of Paarl Royals, the Royal Sports Group-owned team for the inaugural season of Cricket South Africa’s officially sanctioned league – SA T20 League, which is set to begin in January 2023.

The former South African cricketer — known for his explosive and impactful batting in the middle order, wily off-spin, and energetic demeanor on the field — will be joined by a coaching team of Richard Das Neves, Mandla Mashimbyi, Mark Charlton, Lisa Keightley, and Russel Aspeling in their respective roles as Paarl Royals revealed their coaching staff, which will lay the groundwork for the to-be-assembled playing squad.

Duminy said in a press statement said, “I have always had a very close connection with Paarl, having played plenty of my cricket at Boland Park, and hence it’s an honor for me to have been appointed as the Head Coach of the Paarl Royals. It is an exciting time for everyone associated with South African cricket and I’m really looking forward to working with some exceptional international and local players.”

“The shared knowledge and experience in the dressing room is what I’m most excited about and having the privilege to facilitate and unlock our abilities together with my coaching/management staff,” he added.

The 38-year-old left-hander retired from cricket in 2019, the same year he won the Caribbean Premier League with Paarl Royals’ partner side (in CPL), the Barbados Royals (then known as Barbados Tridents).

He has subsequently entered the coaching world, working as a Strategic Consultant for the South African Men’s Team in 2021 and as a Batting Consultant for the local side Lions. His most recent position was as Head Coach of Paarl-based provincial team Boland, as well as the Paarl Rocks domestic T20 side.

Welcoming the staff the Royals’ Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara said, “Paarl Royals is a team that is entrenched with the objective of providing the right opportunities to the people in South Africa, whether that is for the talented cricket-playing youth or for those who want to give back to the game through coaching. Having started off by securing a strong core of players in Jos, David, Obed and Corbin, we are now delighted to have recruited some of the sharpest minds in South African cricket.”

JP, Mark, Richard, Mandla, Russel, and Lisa have all been very successful in their respective roles across teams and also understand the local ecosystem well. We believe that utilizing key learnings from within the IPL will only help us replicate the Royals’ brand of entertaining and passionate cricket in South Africa and will make everyone associated with Paarl extremely happy and proud as we kick off this new journey,” he added.

The 2022-23 SA T20 League will be the first season of the SA T20, a South African franchise Twenty20 cricket competition administered by Cricket South Africa (CSA). The event will take place from January to February 2023. Many Indian franchisees have found themselves placed in the African League and it will be interesting to see mini-IPL celebrated in the continent.