The 2017 season of South Africa’s premier T20 competition is almost upon us. Usually known as the Ram Slam T20, last year the competition was called the CSA T20 Challenge (Cricket South Africa) due to a last minute drop out of their title sponsor.
This year too, the competition was set to be played as the CSA T20 Challenge. However, RAM Hand to Hand Couriers is back to sponsor the league once again for the 2017 season. They had dropped out last year following match fixing controversies but all seems good for CSA at the moment.
With RAM back as the title sponsor, I can safely call this year’s competition the 2017 Ram Slam T20, and it will be played between 10th November and 16th December 2017. This will be the 15th edition of South Africa’s T20 league, known by different names over the years.
Massive cricket fans, RAM has once again stepped in to sponsor the T20 this year. From 10 Nov to 16 Dec, the #RAMSlam is back with a bang! pic.twitter.com/gGWfxZCzKc
— RAM Hand-to-Hand (@OfficialRAMsa) November 7, 2017
History
A total of 6 teams participate in the Ram Slam League, representing 6 different combined regions of South Africa. Over the years, the Titans (also known as Mutliply Titans) have been the most successful team of the T20 Challenge, having won the tournament on 4 separate occasions.
They won last year, beating the Warriors in the final, and bagged their second successive title. This means that in the 2017 season, they will not only be looking to defend their title but also be looking to complete a hat-trick of trophy wins!
Originally, this league was supposed to be played sometime in April-May 2018 due to the T20 Global League which was scheduled for November 2017. However, with the postponement of that league, the 2017 Ram Slam was able to get its normal season dates.
Format
The league format is pretty straightforward: double round-robin followed by the knockout round. The top four teams will participate in the semi finals, and the winners of the semi finals will play for the trophy in the final on 16th December.
A total of 33 T20s will be played between this period, including the knockouts. The first game will be between the Warriors and the Knights, on 10th November. Get the full schedule here.
Also, the shared prize money for this year’s spectators who manage to hold on to catches is a whopping R 2 million. Wow, that’s a lot of money!
A spectator catch in the RAM Slam is now worth R2 million … presumably they saved up for it after leaving last year… #RAMSlam
— Heinz Schenk (@sportmal) November 7, 2017
Teams
RETURN: The 2017 Ram Slam will mark the comeback of the Proteas legend and pace bowler Dale Steyn, who has been out of action for quite a while now. He has been signed by the Titans, to strengthen their already strong team. However, he will not be ready for their opening game.
The squads for this years tournament haven’t been announced as yet. Keep coming back to this page for an update as soon as the squads have been announced. These are the six teams that will participate in the league along with each teams key players:
- Titans: Farhaan Behardien, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Albie & Morne Morkel.
- Warriors: JJ Smuts (c), Colin Ingram, Simon Harmer, Andrew Birch.
- Knights: Reeza Hendricks, Duanne Olivier, Rilee Rossouw.
- Lions: Stephen Cook, Aaron Phangiso (c), Kagiso Rabada, Dwaine Pretorius.
- Cape Cobras: JP Duminy (c), Hashim Amla, Richard Levi, Wayne Parnell, Vernon Philander.
- Dolphins: Khaya Zondo (c), Keshav Maharaj, Andile Phehlukwayo, Imran Tahir, Morne van Wyk.
With the likes of AB de Villiers and Quinton de Kock in their armoury, how can the Titans not succeed and pull off a third successive winning campaign? On the other hand, the Knights and the Warriors both seem like teams without big names, and without chances of doing well this season.
Live streaming:
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Keep an eye on this page for timely updates and Ram Slam 2017 news, as and when it pours in. You can also find similar content in our Cricket Scoops section!
