Sunrisers Eastern Cape host the Joburg Super Kings in the 32nd match of the 2025 SA20. The second SA20 play-off game, or eliminator, takes place on Wednesday as the third and fourth placed sides square up.
2025 SA20 – Game 32
Sunrisers Eastern Cape v Joburg Super Kings
Wednesday 5 February 2025 – 17:30
SuperSport Park
Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Joburg Super Kings face up to each other at SuperSport Park. Unlike Tuesday’s encounter between Cape Town and Paarl, there are no second chances for the loser of this game.
It’s a straight shootout for a ticket home or a place in the second play-off against the loser of Tuesday’s game.
To Win Match
Sunrisers 21/20 | Tie 25/1 | MI Cape Town 81/100
SEC come into Wednesday’s game on the back of a win and in slightly better form than JSK. SEC have won three of their last five games while JSK have won two.
The two teams have met each other six times in total and twice this season. Their head-to-head record for the season is level at one win each as is their historical record which is level at three all.
In the context of SA20, SuperSport Park is a high-scoring venue. It holds the record for the tournament’s highest-ever score (254 for four by DSG in 2023), the highest total by a side batting second (214 for eight by PC v MICT in 2024) and the highest individual score (116* by Kyle Verreynne for PC in 2024).
Expect runs to flow again on Wednesday, as they did last Friday when MICT beat the Capitals after posting the highest score of SA20 2025 with an imposing 222 for three.
In recent games, the side batting second at SuperSport Park has fared the best with the chasing side winning 71% of games. It looks likely that whoever wins the toss will look to field first.
It was the side batting first who won last time out, although the team that won the toss did indeed choose to field first.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape
The SEC have yet to have a meaningful opening stand this season. Their best effort was 38 in their second game. They have tried out four different players at the top of the order and are currently averaging 12 for the first wicket.
It is an area that they must improve if they hope to go all the way again. Although he has yet to fire, expect Tony De Zorzi to be given another run at the top of the order alongside David Bedingham.
Bedingham to spearhead SEC batting unit
David Bedingham has been their biggest success at the top of the order. After a slow start, he has found some good form and even though he only averages 22.22 per innings he is still SEC second highest run scorer all season.
Aiden Markram is the SEC leading scorer, and he has been a major player for the men from Gqeberha. He’s the tournament’s fifth-highest scorer this season and he is averaging 32.63 runs. He will be a key figure in the game.
Lethal Marco Jansen to continue to fire bowling attack
SEC have relied heavily on their bowlers this season with Marco Jansen the leading wicket-taker. He is at number one on the list, but Richard Gleeson and Liam Dawson are also right up there in sixth and seventh.
Ottneil Baartman is in 14th. Bowling has been the key for SEC and, for the most part, it has been their seamers who have done the damage – which is good news for them because as much as SuperSport Park is a batsman-friendly surface, it does still favour quicks over spinners.
A big factor in favour of SEC is that this is the business end of the tournament, and it is a place with which Aiden Markram and his side are very familiar. They have won the tournament twice – indeed no other side has ever won it, so this isn’t unchartered territory for them.
Joburg Super Kings
JSK have blown hot and cold all season. Consistency has not been their friend and that is something they will have to change if they hope to go all the way in the tournament.
If they hope to win SA20 2025 they will need to win three games back-to-back, and that’s something they haven’t managed all tournament.
The JSK bowlers were slow to find their rhythm at the start of the tournament, but in recent games, Hardus Viljoen and Lutho Sipamla have rocketed up the list of leading wicket-takers.
They are now fourth and fifth on the list with averages of 15.42 and 16.17 respectively. Sipamla managed just a single wicket last time out in a losing cause against DSG, but in the three games before that, he took three wickets in each.
Captain Faftastic Faf du Plessis to lead batting charge
Faf du Plessis is JSK’s leading batsman. He has scored 267 runs from nine innings at an average of 29.67. He failed against DSG, but in the game prior to that, he showed what he is truly capable of with a stunning 87 from 55 balls.
It was a knock that secured JSK’s win and their place in the place-offs and once again, evidence of the former Protea skipper’s temperament in big matches.
In the last game against DSG, it was all but over for JSK until Donovan Ferreira arrived at the crease. His knock of 51 from 22 balls was almost of miraculous proportions and it may even have led to a win had he not thrown his back out with a miss-hit.
Donovan Ferreira providing X-factor for JSK
Ferreira has been a big performer for JSK all season, taking some sublime catches, weighing in with key wickets (he is currently the tournament’s twelfth-highest wicket-taker) and showing his worth with the bat.
He could yet have a big influence on how far JSK go in the tournament. JSK will be hoping that the back injury that effectively ended his knock against DSG on Saturday is in the past.
JSK have a handful of high-quality international players who have yet to perform to their full capabilities. Jonny Bairstow, Devon Conway and Moeen Ali are all experienced campaigners who know their way around pressure situations.
Any one of the three (or indeed all of them), have the capability of turning Wednesday’s game on its head.
Verdict: Joburg Super Kings
This will be tight, but JSK appear to be the better team. While SEC have had some outstanding individual performances, the men from Johannesburg have been a tighter unit.
They have been wildly inconsistent in terms of results and performances, but if Faf du Plessis can coax a big performance from his charges this could be the game that signals the end of SEC reign.
Definition of COMEBACK? 🤔
— Joburg Super Kings (@JSKSA20) February 4, 2025
Just watch this! 📺💥#WhistleForJoburg#ToJoburgWeBelong#SA20 pic.twitter.com/B4hVmjP8o0
