Hello Yellow Army!
After the CSK staff overhaul, Joburg Super Kings (JSK) have now made their own staff changes official. And this time, they have also named the replacements. Eric Simons and Tommy Simsek have been thanked for their contributions, and three new faces are coming in for SA20 2027.
JSK's new support staff
According to the official announcement from JSK:
- Allan Donald is the new bowling coach for the 2027 season of the SA20
- Pierre de Bruyn is the new fielding coach
- Evan Speechly takes over as the new physiotherapist from SA20 2027
- JSK also thank Eric Simons and Tommy Simsek for their contributions
Who is Allan Donald
Donald is a South African cricket legend, and a big name to pick as bowling coach. In a stellar international career that spanned more than a decade, he picked up more than 600 wickets for South Africa, and he is also the first South African to take 300 wickets in Tests. I said in my auction verdict that JSK's pace attack looked thin without Trent Boult, so a bowling coach like Donald is a good choice for this group of Muzarabani, Janco Smit and Duan Jansen.
Who is Pierre de Bruyn
De Bruyn is a very experienced domestic cricketer, with over 6,400 runs and over 150 wickets on South Africa's domestic circuit. He takes over as the fielding coach.
Who is leaving: Simons and Simsek
Eric Simons was part of the JSK coaching staff from the start of the franchise, as an assistant coach and later the bowling coach, alongside Albie Morkel, and he also worked at CSK as the bowling coach. As I wrote in our CSK article, Simons is named in England's staff along with Stephen Fleming and James Foster.
Tommy Simsek was the JSK physio since 2022, when the franchise announced its support staff for the first SA20 season. He is also the long-serving CSK physio, and was still listed in the 2025 CSK support staff. Nothing has been said yet about his CSK role, so we will have to see what happens there.
Old staff vs new staff at JSK
| Role | Before | SA20 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Stephen Fleming | Albie Morkel |
| Bowling coach | Eric Simons | Allan Donald |
| Fielding coach | - | Pierre de Bruyn |
| Physio | Tommy Simsek | Evan Speechly |
What it means for CSK
This is where it gets interesting for us. Both franchises are changing at the same time, and the names keep crossing over. Fleming moved to England, Simons is named in England's staff, and Simsek is the long-serving physio at both CSK and JSK. Now JSK have already filled their bowling coach and physio spots, while CSK have still not said anything officially.
As I wrote in the CSK coaching staff article, Mohit Sharma is reportedly, though not officially, next in line for the CSK bowling job, and the batting and fielding coach spots are still open under Zaheer Khan. So CSK fans can expect an announcement soon, now that JSK have shown their hand. It also shows both franchises moving fast, and I hope CSK also get their staff in place well before the IPL 2027 preparations start.
Our take
I like what JSK have done. A clean new set-up with Morkel, who knows the franchise very well, and a big name like Donald for the bowlers is a good mix of continuity and fresh ideas. It also fixes the weak area I pointed out in the auction, the pace attack. The worry is only that so many changes at once means the new staff will need time to settle before January. For CSK, the best case is that they use the same approach: a new set-up with fresh minds after the regular failures.
A complete new look for JSK
If you add it all up, JSK have changed almost everything for SA20 2027:
- Stephen Fleming left, and is now England's Test head coach, as we covered when Morkel was appointed
- Albie Morkel is the new head coach
- Allan Donald as bowling coach, Pierre de Bruyn as fielding coach and Evan Speechly as physio
- A new look squad from the auction: Kieron Pollard, Faf du Plessis, Andries Gous, Jason Rowles, Blessing Muzarabani and Dayyaan Galiem, with Jamie Overton as the wildcard
The 2027 season of the SA20 will be held between January 17 and February 21, and JSK will open their campaign against the Paarl Royals on January 18.
Are you happy with Allan Donald as the bowling coach? Let me know in the comments.
Stay healthy stay yellow.