The North West Dragons are looking fresh and fired up to start the 2026/27 cricket season with a bang in their search of trophies for their cabinet.
They will get the opportunity to leave a fantastic first impression this coming Thursday (September 10) when they open their 1st Class Series campaign against the newly promoted Knights in Bloemfontein.
This match will take place from September 10–13 at the Mangaung Oval – a venue where the Dragons have performed well in recent years.
North West Dragons captain Wihan Lubbe believes that his team is well-balanced and has grown into a tight unit after a stable couple of seasons.
“We are looking forward to the match against the Knights. Our goal is to continue doing what has worked for us and to up the intensity. We are excited for the new players in the squad, such as Daryn (Dupavillon) and Mthiwekhaya Nabe, who bring extra fire to our bowling department. Daryn has a lot of experience and has seen it all,” added Lubbe.
The Dragons have also added Juan James from Western Province to the squad, who brings options with both bat and ball.
The Dragons skipper also believes that the new formats give the team more opportunities and game time.
“We are excited to play more cricket and we are raring to go after a good pre-season.”
The Dragons will face the Knights without regulars Rubin Hermann and Dian Forrester, who are on national duty with the Proteas.
Dragons head coach Craig Alexander believes that winning the small moments will go a long way towards his team picking up their first trophy.
“We have added players to our squad with a winning mentality. We have built season for season and this year we are excited for our group, who can deliver on all fronts. Rubin and Dian are not here this week, but it creates a great opportunity for others.”
As a former fast bowler, Alexander is especially excited to have Dupavillon, a former Protea, in the setup, as his skills on the field are just as valuable as his mentorship off it.
“Daryn brings an X-factor. He can bowl over 140 km/h with control and that is a great weapon to have. For a youngster such as Callie Fryer, who can bowl over 140 km/h as well, it is great to have Daryn here to also guide him.”
Alexander mentions that he is grateful for the continued support of the loyal Dragons fan base, which has grown season by season due to the team’s consistency.
“We want to make the fans proud with exciting cricket on the field that will lead to wins and trophies.”
New season structure
The 2026/27 cricket season has seen a rebrand to all division 1 and division 2 competitions. One of the most exciting changes is a unified premier T20 competition, called the Pro20 Cup. This will see division 1 and division 2 teams divided in two pools where they will play against each other – giving the division 2 teams a chance to upset the big boys.
The Dragons will first be in 1st Class Series action in two away matches against the Knights and Boland (17-20 September) before playing their first home match against the Lions on 19-22 November in this competition that stretches until April. In between this, the Dragons will play in the Pro20 Cup and Pro50 in a jam-packed season.
See the full list of fixtures here
