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| Highveld Lions lose raft of top players |
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| Category: Domestic Leagues |
| Written by Luke Tagg |
| Wednesday, 10 March 2010 15:56 |
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On the eve of their Standard Bank Pro20 final against the Warriors on Friday, the Highveld Lions have been left reeling by the news that several of their top players are defecting to other franchises. According to an inside source of mine with close ties to the Gauteng Cricket Board, opening bat Neil McKenzie and wicketkeeper/batsman Dane Vilas have both already signed for the Cape Cobras for next season, despite media reports stating that McKenzie is still in negotiations. It doesn't end there - Vaughn van Jaarsveld has already signed for the Titans, leaving the Lions with three gaping holes in their batting lineup. Not good news for the franchise, which is pretty lucky to be in the final at all, much less the Champions League Twenty20. They've been pretty weak for a long time now - their last silverware was four years ago. They do have one bit of good news: Paul Harris is allegedly planning to leave the Titans and is currently in negotiations to join the Lions, as is the new young talent Reeza Hendricks of the Warriors, who pulled off a stunning catch in the Pro20 recently. In other casting news: Johann Louw, who was dropped by the Dolphins a few weeks ago along with a bunch of other senior players, has also signed for the Cobras. The Cape franchise suffered from poor batting performances all season - their acquisition of McKenzie, Vilas and Louw indicates they are doing their best to rectify the problem. As for the Lions - you may wonder why those players would leave, considering their run of form in the Pro20. I think their negotiations with the other franchises would have been decided on well before the Lions reached the final and the Champions League Twenty20, at a time when the they seemed dead and buried in the competition. I'm sure all of them would have had clauses written into their contracts about being allowed to play for the Lions in the CLT20 if they got there, and indeed Cobras coach Shukri Conrad confirmed to Sport24 that his new Lions signings will be allowed to play in the CLT20. So at least the Lions will still have some firepower in the CLT20. They're going to need it. Ultimately it's all good news for me. Three new batters can only help the cause. 
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