For Dolphins' CSA One Day Cup title defense, which begins on Friday against Warriors in Gqeberha, Imran Tahir is expected to return to the team he played for in South Africa's domestic circuit from 2010 to 2019-20. JJ Smuts, who played for Italy at the T20 World Cup most recently, is also back in the Dolphins squad. Forty six-year-old Tahir's return is important for Dolphins, who are going to be without seven of their premier players when South Africa tour New Zealand for a five-match T20I series, starting March 15. In a statement, Dolphins coach Quinton Friend said, "Imran is a fantastic team guy, and we are really looking forward to having him in our space for the One Day Cup." "With us losing all those players for the New Zealand tour, I thought it would be great to bring in a guy like Imran with all his experience, and we're really excited to have him in our changeroom." With a 50-over World Cup coming to South Africa in 2027 - when Tahir will be 48 - Friend said the relevance of the domestic 50-over competition could not be higher. "The One Day Cup is a huge domestic competition. When you think about how Cricket South Africa is trying to put together a team for the World Cup next year, it's important that the players know how to play 50 overs. "I think it's a great format, and it's really important that we can concentrate on the things we want to accomplish as a nation at that World Cup. The One Day Cup is one of those competitions that everyone wants to win, and from the perspective of the CSA, it is very important for domestic cricket. The majority of South Africa's players will not travel to New Zealand for the T20 World Cup, where they will be led by Keshav Maharaj, a Dolphins player himself. Nqobani Mokoena, Ottneil Baartman, Prenelan Subrayen, Eathan Bosch, Andile Simelane, and Jason Smith are the other Dolphins members who are traveling with the group. Except for Smith and Maharaj, they are all on the team for the season opener. "We are extremely proud of those players, but it will be huge for us to lose that many players. "Friend said, "I want to congratulate them because they've done exceptionally well and are reaping the rewards." "We will be challenged by this, but we are embracing it. Over the past two years, we have worked hard to improve our pipeline so that players can compete and win matches for us. "To win this trophy and remain consistent in the competition is always the goal. An exciting challenge for us is figuring out how to put together a team that can win games. Dolphins One Day Cup squad ;- Andile Simelane, Marques Ackerman, Imran Tahir, Prenelan Subrayen (c), Eathan Bosch, Nqobani Mokoena, Khaya Zondo, Slade van Staden, Hanu Viljoen, Romashan Pillay, Tristan Luus, Jon-Jon Smuts, Ottniel Baartman, Tshepang Dithole