Du Preez and Amelia Kerr bag Kia contracts; set to join Southern Vipers

South African batter Du Preez, a veteran of 73 T20Is with an impressive strike rate of 96.59 is an important addition to the team. The 28-year-old had also become the first South African to score more than 1,000 career T20I runs in 2016. She decided to quit the captaincy on 21st June 2016, after leading the team for almost 5 years (since 2011) in one Test, 46 ODIs, and 50 T20Is. She also became the first woman for South Africa to play in 100 ODI matches.

Being the South African player with most matches as captain in both ODIs and T20Is, she is also the highest run-scorer for South Africa in T20I and the second highest in ODI.

Amelia Kerr, the 17-year-old, is a leg spinner who has taken an impressive 28 wickets in her first 17 ODIs for New Zealand and has eight wickets in eight T20Is. She discussed with her parents first, and schooling was a key part of the conversation as she is still studying. "They were happy if my school was okay with it," Kerr added, "I wouldn't have done it if my school weren't comfortable about it, but Tawa College has been really supportive and we're confident I'll pass the year."

"I'm really excited, a little bit nervous coming into a new team and competition, but I know I'll enjoy it," Kerr was quoted as saying to NZ Herald. "It's an awesome opportunity, especially with a World T20 (in the West Indies in November) at the end of the year - playing lots of competitive cricket leading into that will be ideal."

Charlotte Edwards, the Director of Women's Cricket for the Southern Vipers said, "We’re delighted to welcome back Mignon again this year - she was an integral part of our squad last year and made some important match-winning contributions throughout the season."

She further told, "In Amelia, we have one of the brightest young talents in the game, and she’s already made a big impact on the international stage with her leg spin, taking 36 international wickets since her debut in 2017. We look forward to welcoming them both to the Southern Vipers for hopefully another successful KSL campaign."

Southern Vipers which reached the finals of the Kia Super League last year will look forward to yet another great season this year under the captaincy of Suzie Bates.

The 2018 Kia Super League starts on the 22nd of July and will see six teams playing each other twice in the league format.