Warriors making solid progress, Muthusamy says

Dafabet Warriors all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy believes the side have established a strong platform to build on after an encouraging 2025/2026 campaign, as they look to add more silverware next season.

Having joined the Warriors two seasons ago, Muthusamy has seen his stock rise considerably in Gqeberha, with consistent performances earning him international call-ups across all formats for the Proteas in the last two years.

The 32-year-old played an important role in a season that saw the Warriors reach two domestic finals, winning the CSA T20 Challenge title while captaining the side in the CSA 4-Day Series in which they narrowly missed out on the crown.

“Looking back, I feel like we did not play bad cricket at all, but there were certainly key moments where things just never went our way throughout that 2024/2025 campaign,” Muthusamy told The Herald.

“So coming into 2025/2026, our main objective was to right the wrongs and play our best cricket as much as possible, because that would give us a chance to compete for silverware, and I’d like to think we did that given how the season ended.

“I also think our performances gave us a pretty good blueprint of how we want to approach the new campaign [2026/2027] as a team.”

Muthusamy, who previously represented the Dolphins and North West Dragons before moving to the Warriors, has steadily grown into one of the side’s most influential players, balancing leadership with reliable all-round performances.

His improvement between his first and second seasons at the franchise has been reflected in the numbers.

Across all formats in the 2024/2025 season, Muthusamy scored 499 runs — including a century and two half-centuries — while taking 30 wickets.

He improved significantly in 2025/26, amassing 618 runs, including four half-centuries, and taking 55 wickets across formats, nearly doubling his wicket tally and underlining his value as one of the Warriors’ premier all-rounders.

“I am always striving to improve wherever I can.

“For me, it is not just about the numbers but rather becoming a more involved member of the team,” he said.

“Ensuring that I can help the younger players coming through with advice where needed or bouncing ideas off other senior figures in the group to ensure we are aligned in everything that we do.”

Meanwhile, Cricket SA is reportedly set to introduce significant changes to the domestic structure from the 2026/2027 season.

Among the proposed changes is a revamped first-class competition, with the eight Division One teams expected to be split into two pools of four.

Teams would play 10 matches each — up from seven at present — through home-and-away fixtures within their pool, supplemented by four cross-pool games.

The biggest shift could come in T20 cricket, where all 15 domestic unions, along with an SA Emerging side, are expected to compete in an expanded 16-team tournament.