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Paarl Royals have roped in former England captain Joe Root as one of their new overseas signings ahead of SA20 2025. Root will make his SA20 debut in the upcoming edition of the league.
This is not the first time Root has been associated with a Royals franchise. Back in 2023, IPL team Rajasthan Royals (RR) offered him his first contract in the league. In fact, Root even played three matches for RR, scoring 10 runs. RR did not retain him for the 2024 season, but he will don the Paarl Royals jersey in SA20 2025 now.
Announcing his arrival, Paarl posted an edited picture of Root, with the text 'Royal Again'. The social media admin captioned the post as follows:
"From England to South Africa, cricket’s favorite reverse scoop is coming home."
Root has enormous T20 experience under his belt. However, he is no longer a first-choice pick in England's T20I team. His last T20I appearance for England came on May 5, 2019 against Pakistan at Sophia Gardens.
"We are looking forward to using his expertise, his personality, his brains" - Kumar Sangakkara comments on Joe Root joining Paarl Royals
Royals' Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara heaped praise on Joe Root and welcomed him to the Paarl team. Speaking in a media release, Sangakkara said:
"We all know what a phenomenal player Joe Root is, and to have him back at the Royals is a great feeling.
"As we saw during IPL 2023 and have also seen over the years, he is also a great team man, and has the ability to help his teammates develop both on and off the field. We are looking forward to using his expertise, his personality, his brains, and also his performances on the field to strive towards a successful SA20 season in 2025," he added.
SA20 will begin on January 9, 2025 in South Africa. Paarl Royals have not been able to qualify for the final in any of the two seasons played so far. It will be interesting to see if Root's arrival changes the team's fortunes.
