Durban’s Super Giants made the blockbuster signing of Aiden Markram in the SA20 auction. Several franchises were interested in the signing of the South Africa T20I captain, but Durban broke the bank to get him on board. Markram’s former franchise, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, didn’t make it any easier as well, as the two-time champions wanted to use their Right to Match (RTM) card on the all-rounder. However, they ended up not matching Durban’s R14 million bid.
That made Markram the costliest player in the SA20 history, before Dewald Brevis broke it by signing for Pretoria Capitals. Meanwhile, Markram is a proven custodian in the SA20. He has won the championship twice as captain, and that played a major role in Durban going all-out to acquire him in the auction.
Markram’s connection with LSG
Notably, he also plays for Durban’s sister franchise Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, and that might have played a part in his decision to leave Sunrisers Eastern Cape. In the cash-rich league, the 30-year-old played some sensational cricket, scoring 445 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 148.82 in 2025.
When it comes to SA20, Markram has 36 matches in the tournament, scoring 967 runs at a strike rate of 131.38. More than his batting, it’s the captaincy that impressed all and courtesy of the same, he even earned the Proteas captaincy in the shortest format.
Meanwhile, Keshav Maharaj led Durban in the last edition of the tournament. In the 2024 season, Durban qualified for the final, but ended up losing to Markram’s Sunrisers.
Durban’s Super Giants squad for 2026: Noor Ahmad, Heinrich Klaasen, Sunil Narine, Jos Buttler, Kwena Maphaka, Aiden Markram, Devon Conway, Gerald Coetzee, David Bedingham, Marques Ackermann, Eathan Bosch, Andile Simelane, Tony de Zorzi, Dayyaan Galiem, Taijul Islam, Evan Jones, Gysbert Wege, David Wiese, Daryn Dupavillon.
