MI Cape Town host the Joburg Super Kings in the 13th match of the 2025 SA20. A sold-out Newlands will witness the highly-anticipated clash between MI Cape and JSK as the latter aim to maintain the unbeaten record.
2025 SA20 – Game 13
MI Cape Town v Joburg Super Kings
Saturday 18 January 2025 – 17:30
Newlands
The Super Kings beat MI Cape Town when they met at the Wanderers in game four. But it was a DWL victory in a game that was badly affected by rain. MI Cape Town will be looking for revenge as they host Faf du Plessis’s side.
Traditionally the captain who won the toss at Newlands would look to bat first. While that is still the case most of the time, matters are a little more even between the first and second innings now. From the last 24 T20 games played at Newlands the side batting first has won 54% of the time, compared to 45% for the side chasing.
To Win Match
MI Cape Town 82/100 | Tie 25/1 | Joburg Super Kings 1/1
Battle for the top of the standings
Saturday’s encounter between MICT and JSK is a battle to see who goes top of the SA20 table. As it stands JSK are top and MICT second, with just a single point separating the sides. They will have it all to play for on Saturday.
SA20 have developed an MVP ranking and the top ten on that list is dominated by MICT players with no fewer than five of their stars in the top ten. By contrast, Donovan Ferreira is the only JSK player in the top ten.
MI Cape Town
Newlands is slowly becoming a fortress for MI Cape Town – they have won their last two home matches. Saturday is expected to be sold out once again which will make for a great atmosphere and a big boost for the home side.
Heroic Hendricks out to prove a point against former side
Look out for Reeza Hendricks who will feel he has something to prove to his former teammates at JSK. Hendricks was not retained by Joburg ahead of the new season and he was snapped up at auction by MICT. He is looking good for them too with scores of 59 and 30 from his last two games.
Another player looking in excellent touch for MI Cape Town is veteran opener Rassie van der Dussen. With 154 runs from four innings, he is second on the list of the tournament’s leading run scorers, behind only Lhuan-dre Pretorius. Unfortunately, Van der Dussen looks set to miss Saturday’s game after injuring a finger against Paarl.
Last season’s top run scorer Ryan Rickelton has only played once this season as he came into the competition with a hamstring niggle. MI Cape Town will be hoping that he is fit to play on Saturday as his absence in Paarl proved costly with stand-in keeper Connor Esterhuizen dropping a fairly regulation chance behind the stumps that possibly cost his side the game.
Doing the basics right
Fielding is critical and in their last outing, MI Cape Town were guilty of dropping a couple of catches. The margins in T20 are so small that drops can have a major impact – the men from Cape Town will need to ensure that they are on point in the field if they are to return to winning ways.
Delano Potgieter had an outstanding opening game to the tournament. While he hasn’t quite lived up to the standards of the opening win over SEC, he is still averaging 100 runs per inning (aided by a handful of not-out knocks) at a strike rate of 175. Along with George Linde ,he has been a crucial presence in the MI Cape Town middle order.
Joburg Super Kings
Newlands is a wicket that is kind to wrist-spinners and in Tabraiz Shamsi and Imran Tahir JSK have two of the wiliest competitors in the mix. Aside from the Proteas duo JSK also feature Moeen Ali and Donovan Ferreira in their line-up and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they all featured in Cape Town.
Faf du Plessis possesses rich arsenal of bowlers
The JSK bowling attack is very good. There is a diverse mix of options for skipper Faf du Plessis to call on. Ferreira and Dayyaan Galiem are amongst the leading wicket-takers in the tournament (with four each), while from an economic perspective David Wiese, Ferreira and Moeen are all in the tournament’s top ten.
Look out for Leus du Plooy and Jonny Bairstow in the JSK middle order. Du Plooy is the JSK’s highest scorer the season while Bairstow has a history of runs at Newlands.
Gerald Coetzee has it all to play for following Anrich Nortje’s withdrawal from the Proteas side for the ICC Champions Trophy. With a replacement still to be named, Coetzee is the favourite for selection to Rob Walter’s side – a big game against MICT would certainly do his cause no harm.
Verdict: MI Cape Town
This will be close, but MI Cape Town has a lot to prove, and they should have too much depth at the end of the day.
Cape Town, ICYMI 😉
— MI Cape Town (@MICapeTown) January 17, 2025
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