The Knights will once again be contesting Division 2 after a tough 2024/25 campaign which ultimately saw them relegated back to the lower division.

The Free State Cricket Union has done a remarkable job of retaining the bulk of their top players for the new season. However, they did lose the services of the invaluable Dian Forrester to the North West Dragons, while newly capped Protea Lesego Senokwane opted to join the Titans.

Dane Piedt. Photo: Morgan Piek

Players such as Dane Piedt, Jacques Snyman, Tiaan van Vuuren, Gihahn Cloete, Malusi Siboto, and Patrick Botha have committed to continuing their careers in Bloemfontein, determined to restore the Knights to their rightful place in South African domestic cricket. 

While they have secured the services of the forgotten Protea Sisanda Magala, as well as the former Limpopo Impalas captain and Northern Cape Heat allrounder Ruan Haasbroek.

The Knights will face the side from the East Rand in Division 2 of the CSA 4-Day Series, which got underway last week. The Storm have already played and notched up a convincing victory, beating the Impalas by an innings and 63 runs at Willowmoore Park in Benoni.

Easterns boast some dangerous players, including Christopher Britz, who scored a mammoth 273 against the Impalas, and the experienced Ernest Kemm, who captained the Northern Cape Heat for several seasons with aplomb.

Veteran allrounder Patrick Botha told OFM Sport that the Knights will lean heavily on their experience heading into the campaign. He added that they have a fair idea of what to expect from their opponents this week, but ultimately, the squad is just excited to be back on the park.

“Another season is coming up, starting on Thursday, and the boys are already looking forward to it,” said Botha.

“We’ve got a lot of experienced heads in our team, so I think there are good things to come. We’re ready for the season, and we’ve got to make it count.

“We know how big this season is with the possible new restructure coming in. They’ve already played a game, so it was useful to see how they went about it.

“But this is a new game in Bloem, and we’ll need to come up with plans for certain players. More importantly, though, we’re focusing on what we need to do, and that’s the main thing for this week.

“Everyone’s really looking forward to the season.”

While there is some weather around in Bloemfontein, play at the Mangaung Oval is scheduled to start at 10:00 on Thursday.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cvs