Sunrisers Eastern Cape
South African franchise cricket team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sunrisers Eastern Cape is a South African professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team that competes in the SA20 tournament.[1] The team is based in Gqeberha, and was formed in 2022. The team's home-ground is St George's Park Cricket Ground. The team is coached by Adrian Birrell.[2][3] The franchise is owned by the Indian SUN Group.[4][5]
 | ||
| League | SA20 | |
|---|---|---|
| Personnel | ||
| Captain | Tristan Stubbs | |
| Coach | Adrian Birrell | |
| Bowling coach | Dale Steyn | |
| Owner | Sun Group | |
| Chief executive | Kavya Maran | |
| Team information | ||
| City | Gqeberha, South Africa | |
| Colors | Orange | |
| Founded | 2023 | |
| Home ground | St George's Park Cricket Ground, Gqeberha | |
| Capacity | 19,000 | |
| History | ||
| Twenty20 debut | v. Pretoria Capitals at St George's Park Cricket Ground, Gqeberha; 10 January 2023 | |
| SA20 wins | 3 (2023, 2024, 2026) | |
| Official website | https://sunriserseasterncape.co/ | |
| ||
 2027 Sunrisers Eastern Cape season | ||
History
In August 2022, Cricket South Africa announced the establishment of the SA20, a Twenty20 Cricket competition to be started in 2023. The teams for the competition, representing six cities, including the Eastern Cape, were put up on auction in September 2022. The franchise is owned by Kalanithi Maran of the Sun Group.[6]
2023 season
They were the champions of the first season of the tournament after they beat Pretoria Capitals by four wickets in the final at the Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. Having successfully lead the team to their inaugural SA20 title, Markram was later appointed as the captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad for the 2023 season of the IPL.[7]
2024 season
The Sunrisers defended their title to become champions for a second time. They beat Durban's Super Giants by 89 runs in the final at Cape Town.[8]
2025 season
The season started poorly, with the Sunrisers losing their first three games, and after four games they were bottom of the log. However, they finished strongly, ending in third place and qualifying for the Eliminator.
In the knockout rounds, they defeated Joburg Super Kings in the Eliminator and then Paarl Royals in the 2nd Qualifier. However, they were comprehensively defeated by MI Cape Town in the final.[9]
2026 season
Home ground
Sunrisers Eastern Cape play their home matches at St George's Park Cricket Ground in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The stadium, established in 1882, is one of the oldest cricket grounds in the country and has a seating capacity of approximately 19,000 spectators. It has hosted international Test, One Day International (ODI), and Twenty20 International (T20I) matches, as well as domestic competitions. Since the inaugural SA20 season in 2023, St George's Park has served as the home venue of Sunrisers Eastern Cape and is renowned for its vibrant atmosphere, with the club's supporters, known as the Orange Army, creating one of the most distinctive match-day experiences in the league.[10]
The venue has witnessed several memorable moments in the franchise's history, including numerous home victories during their championship-winning SA20 campaigns. The ground is also known for its pace-friendly conditions, particularly under lights, which often provide assistance to fast bowlers while remaining conducive to stroke play as the innings progresses.
Current squad
- Players with international caps are listed in bold.
| Name | Nat. | Date of Birth | Batting Style | Bowling Style | Year signed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | ||||||
| Matthew Breetzke |  South Africa |
November 3, 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2025 | |
| Jordan Hermann | South Africa |
May 10, 2001 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | 2025 | |
| Mitchell van Buuren | South Africa |
September 7, 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2025 | |
| James Coles |  England |
September 11, 2004 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2025 | |
| CJ King | South Africa |
2025 | ||||
| JP King | South Africa |
2025 | ||||
| All-rounders | ||||||
| Marco Jansen | South Africa |
May 1, 2000 | Left-handed | Left-arm fast | 2023 | |
| Mitchell Marsh |  Australia |
October 20, 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2026 | Pre-signing |
| Patrick Kruger | South Africa |
February 3, 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2025 | |
| Lewis Gregory | England |
May 24, 1992 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2025 | |
| Senuran Muthusamy | South Africa |
February 22, 1994 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2025 | |
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||
| Tristan Stubbs | South Africa |
August 14, 2000 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2025 | Captain |
| Quinton de Kock | South Africa |
December 17, 1992 | Left-handed | 2025 | ||
| Bowlers | ||||||
| Adam Milne |  New Zealand |
April 13, 1992 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 2025 | |
| Anrich Nortje | South Africa |
November 16, 1993 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 2025 | |
| Lutho Sipamla | South Africa |
May 12, 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2025 | |
| Rishad Hossain |  Bangladesh |
July 15, 2002 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2026 | Pre-signing |
Administration and support staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Adrian Birrell |
| Assistant Coach | Russell Domingo |
| Batting Coach | Baakier Abrahams |
| Bowling Coach | Charl Langeveldt |
| Fielding Coach | Jimmy Kgamadi |
Seasons
Summaries
| Season | W–L | Pos. | Finals | Coach | Captain | Most Runs | Most Wickets | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4–5 (1 NR) | 3rd | C | Adrian Birrell | Aiden Markram | Aiden Markram (366) | Roelof van der Merwe (20) | [11] |
| 2024 | 7–3 | 1st | C | Adrian Birrell | Aiden Markram | Tom Abell (319) | Ottniel Baartman (18) | [12] |
| 2025 | 5–5 | 3rd | R | Adrian Birrell | Aiden Markram | David Bedingham (283) | Marco Jansen (19) | [13] |
| 2026 | 8–2 | 1st | C | Adrian Birrell | Tristan Stubbs | Quinton de Kock (390) | Anrich Nortje (18) | [14] |
| 2027 |
Tournament finishes
- C: champions
- RU: runner-up
- SF team qualified for the semi-final stage of the competition
Season Statistics
Note:
- NR indicates No result.
- Abandoned matches are indicated as no result.
Records and statistics
Most runs
| Player | Match | Runs | Batting average | High score | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aiden Markram | 36 | 967 | 34.53 | 100 | 1 | 5 |
| Jordan Hermann | 42 | 939 | 36.60 | 106* | 1 | 4 |
| Tristan Stubbs | 48 | 915 | 36.60 | 66* | 0 | 4 |
| Marco Jansen | 47 | 563 | 25.59 | 71* | 0 | 3 |
| Tom Abell | 23 | 502 | 27.88 | 65 | 0 | 4 |
- Source:[16] as of 26 January 2026
Most wickets
| Player | Wickets | Bowling average | Best bowling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marco Jansen | 60 | 19.53 | 5/30 |
| Ottniel Baartman | 41 | 15.92 | 4/10 |
| Liam Dawson | 22 | 22.54 | 3/17 |
| Roelof van der Merwe | 20 | 9.55 | 6/20 |
| Anrich Nortje | 18 | 15.77 | 4/13 |
- Source:[17] as of 26 January 2026
Captains
| Captain | Span | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | W–L% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aiden Markram | 2023–2025 | 36 | 22 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 61.11 |
| Tristan Stubbs | 2025–2026 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 58.33 |
| Source: [18] | |||||||