Hendricks looking forward to SA20, although not based at Wanderers 0
Reeza Hendricks will not be based at his beloved DP World Wanderers Stadium for the SA20 tournament that starts on January 9, but that’s not to say the Lions star is not looking forward to the event.
Hendricks has been an ever-present in the Joburg Super Kings line-up in the first two seasons of the SA20, but was released this year. That was not the setback it seemed, however, as the 35-year-old fetched the highest bid at the auction for the 2025 edition, netting R4.3 million from MI Cape Town.
He will be joining fellow DP World Lions stars Kagiso Rabada, Connor Esterhuizen, Ryan Rickelton, Rassie van der Dussen and Delano Potgieter at MI Cape Town. And Hashim Amla, the vastly-respected batting coach for the Central Gautengers, is also with the Newlands-based T20 franchise.
It’s not for nothing that there is such a concentration of #ThePrideOfJozi that has been signed by head coach Robin Peterson. The DP World Lions are the back-to-back domestic T20 champions and Hendricks has starred in both winning campaigns.
In 2023/24, he was the third-highest run-scorer with 440 at 36.66 and a strike-rate of 140.12, with four half-centuries. In this season’s triumph, he was again in the top-10 run-scorers with 194 at 38.80 and a strike-rate of 135.66, with two fifties.
Given that he has been starring on the domestic T20 stage since 2010/11, it is not a surprise that Hendricks this season broke former Knights team-mate Morne van Wyk’s record for the most domestic T20 career runs.
Van Wyk held the record with 3183 runs in 113 innings, averaging 31.83 at a strike-rate of 124. Hendricks went past that tally in the final against the Titans and has scored 3184 runs at an average of 36.18 and a strike-rate of 125.35.
And it’s not just the DP World Lions that Hendricks has been shining for: He has been one of the premier T20 batsmen in international T20 cricket, scoring 1222 runs for the Proteas in the last three years, at an average of 33.94 and a strike-rate of 141.92.
“I’ve had a good run, although I had a bit of a slump in the World Cup. But I made a few runs since then and hopefully I’m close to my best again and the runs keep coming. A little slump like that is not uncommon in your career, but hopefully I’m out of it now,” Hendricks said.
“It’s a part of the game and you just need to accept it and move on. Conditions were quite challenging at the World Cup and it wasn’t anything to do with technique. It was just a time I had to go through, although it continued longer than I would have liked.
“It’s nice to win trophies and be the highest run-scorer ever in the competition. Milestones are a part of it, it’s quite an achievement to have most runs ever, but a winning team and culture is more important.
“The record tells you that I’ve been around for a while and I just try to keep my batting as simple as possible, I formulate plans that work for me. Hopefully they continue to work going forward.”
Even a move away from the DP World Wanderers Stadium for the SA20 is okay with the typically phlegmatic Hendricks.
“I still feel good and I will keep playing for as long as I can, as long as I still have the desire, the passion is still there and I’m still scoring runs. I just try and keep my standards and keep building on my game. I like to think my game is still evolving and now I have a new coach to work with [Peterson] in January,” he said.
The DP World Lions are well-represented throughout the SA20 with 13 players in all taking part in the six-team franchise competition. The other Western Cape side, the Paarl Royals, also have a clutch of #ThePrideOfJozi with Nqaba Peter, Mitchell van Buuren, Codi Yusuf, Bjorn Fortuin and Kwena Maphaka chosen for Trevor Penney’s side.
All-rounders Wiaan Mulder and Evan Jones will turn out for the Durban Super Giants and Joburg Super Kings respectively.