The SA20 20243 saw Faf du Plessis return to form just when the Joburg Super Kings needed him most, as his team crushed MI Cape Town to increase their prospects of making the playoffs. Before this game, the Super Kings and MI were fighting for the last playoff berth. With this significant victory in the rain-shortened game that also awarded them a bonus point, the men in yellow have given themselves a great chance.

Pitch Report and Toss Update

It is anticipated that the batting-friendly surface at Newlands will help the batters once again. While spinners will likely contribute significantly in the middle overs, the pacers may receive some assistance in the second part of the game.

But looking at the overcast conditions and chances of rain, Faf du Plessis, the skipper of the Joburg Super Kings, won the toss and elected to field first.

MI Cape Town’s watchful start in the powerplay

When MI batted first, Rassie van der Dussen took 18 balls to make 16 runs, which ensured that the batting side made only 43 in the powerplay despite Ryan Rickelton getting going at the other end.

Lizaad Williams got the wicket of van der Dussen, and with some odd boundaries in an over, MI Cape Town reached 43/1 after the completion of 6 overs. After the completion of the powerplay, the rain arrived to interrupt the game.

Kieron Pollard’s cameo helped MI Cape Town reach a competitive total

Rain showed up after six overs, causing a tedious three-hour delay before play resumed. That made it an eight-over match, which made MI reevaluate their strategy. Liam Livingstone was out on the second ball following the restart, which made the situation worse. Kieron Pollard then bagged two crucial boundaries that boosted the score.

Pollard gave MI a huge boost in the last over of the innings when he took on David Wiese and hammered him for three sixes, propelling his team to 80/3, even though Imran Tahir also removed Rickelton in the same over. Imran Tahir bowled well for Joburg Super Kings and picked up a couple while Lizaad Williams scalped a wicket as well.

After struggling with poor form throughout the competition, Faf Du Plessis was up for the task, as the Super Kings needed to win with 98 runs from eight overs in order to reach the revised target.

MI Cape Town’s bowlers didn’t have any answer to Faf du Plessis and Du Plooy’s assault

Leus du Plooy gave the Super Kings an impressive start by hitting the first two balls of the chase over the ropes as Nuwan Thushara conceded 18 in the first over. After that, Faf Du Plessis played around with Kagiso Rabada, and the Super Kings shocked MI with another 18-run over after the team had scored 36 runs in the first two overs.

In the next over, Faf Du Plessis faced Rabada another time in an attempt to score a six and a hat-trick of boundaries. With the rain returning, the two openers demonstrated their rightful intent. Due to the rain, Faf Du Plessis had to race against time to close things off, and he did so with flair, hitting an undefeated 20-ball fifty.

At the other end, Du Plooy hit an undefeated 41 off just 14 runs as the Super Kings, in quite remarkable fashion, completed the task in less than six overs.

With two games left, JSK is currently ahead of both MI Cape Town and Pretoria Capitals to claim the fourth and final playoff berth, with 13 points. MI Cape Town drops to sixth place with nine points, but with two games remaining against the Pretoria Capitals, they are still in contention for the playoffs.

Also Read: JSK VS PC: JSK’s Struggling Streak Raises Questions About 2024 Campaign