The inaugural edition of SA20 is off to a flying start and the green, hard pitches offered for these matches have left bowlers itching to get onto the field and raring to go. The tournament kick-started with a terrific spell from English seamer Jofra Archer (MI Cape Town) as he returned with figures of 3/27. 

However, the local bowlers are the ones leading the wicket-taking list. Bjorn Fortuin (Paarl Royals) and Anrich Nortje (Pretoria Capitals) are currently the bowlers with most wickets in SA20 2023, with Aaron Phangiso (Joburg Super Kings) in close quarters. 

Nortje’s tournament began with a match-winning spell of 2/18 in a high-scoring encounter against Sunrisers Eastern Cape, where he picked up crucial wickets of Tristan Stubbs and Jordan Cox. He also registered figures of 3/12 against Joburg Super Kings, making him a leading contender to finish as the top wicket-taker. 

Meanwhile, Paarl Royals’ Bjorn Fortuin’s 3/16 against Joburg helped inflict the lowest team score in the tournament so far as the Super Kings got bowled out for just 81. He has been on a wicket-taking spree in SA20 2023, picking up three wickets in a match on three occasions.  

Sisanda Magala and Ottniel Baartman of Sunrisers Eastern Cape are the other pacers who are off to a good start in the tournament. Among spinners, Aaron Phangiso returned with figures of 4/20 in his side’s win against Sunrisers, which took his wickets tally in the tournament into double digits. Roelof van der Merwe, meanwhile, took a six-for against Durban's Super Giants.

Here’s a list of the leading wicket-takers in SA20 2023.

Most wickets in SA20 2023

Player

Team

Matches

Wickets

Anrich Nortje

Pretoria Capitals

10

18

Gerald Coetzee

Joburg Super Kings

8

17

Roelof van der Merwe

Sunrisers Eastern Cape

9

16

Bjorn Fortuin 

Paarl Royals 

11

14

Eathan Bosch

Pretoria Capitals

11

14

Jimmy Neesham Pretoria Capitals 11 13

Adil Rashid

Pretoria Capitals

9

13

Evan Jones

Paarl Royals 

10

13

Sisanda Magala Sunrisers Eastern Cape 11 12

Kagiso Rabada

MI Cape Town

7

11

Lungi Ngidi

Paarl Royals

9

11

Photo Credit: Alamy