Skipper Faf du Plessis led the charge with a stroke-filled 87 off 55 balls (4×4, 7×6) as the Super Kings cruised past the Royals’ 150/9 with seven wickets to spare. Joburg Super Kings secured a crucial victory over table-toppers Paarl Royals that boosted their playoffs chances. On a tricky surface, skipper Faf du Plessis led from the front with his 87 that helped wrap up the clinical chase with over two overs to spare.
Delhi Capitals star batter Faf du Plessis got back in form ahead of IPL 2025, making a match-winning knock in the SA20 match against Paarl Royals for Joburg Super Kings. Former South Africa and RCB captain Faf du Plessis, who was released by RCB before the IPL 2025 auction, was bought by Delhi Capitals for INR 2 crore
Joburg Super Kings maintained challenge for a place in the SA20 2025 playoffs with a victory over the table-topping Paarl Royals at the Wanderers on Thursday (January 30).
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : “The injuries to their pacers mean they are quite deliberately making it (the pitch) dry. Very dry and abrasive. When the weather is hot, the pitch is sticky, the ball holds to the surface. But when the air cools and the pitch cools, the ball comes on nicely,” reckons Mark Butcher
Toss : Joburg Super Kings skipper Faf Du Plessis won the toss and chose to bowl with one change in the playing XI as Moeen Ali is not playing. Paarl Royals stand in skipper Bjorn Fortuin in place of David Miller batting first also made few changes in the playing XI.
Dinesh Karthik’s maiden fifty in SA20 powers PR to 150 for 9 in 20 overs
Paarl Royals have already booked their place in Qualifier 1 against MI Cape Town at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on Tuesday, February 4. The winner progresses straight to the Final at the Wanderers on Saturday, February 8.The Sunrisers, Super Kings, and Pretoria Capitals are still battling away for the two remaining playoffs. The Capitals faces a must-win clash against MI Cape Town at Centurion on Friday before the Sunrisers and Paarl Royals clash in Gqeberha on Saturday afternoon at 1pm.
The third and fourth placed sides will face off in the Eliminator at Centurion on February 5 before Qualifier 2 between the Eliminator winner and Qualifier 2 loser at the same venue the next day.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Bjorn Fortuin losing skipper of PR said : The biggest plus I can take out of today is a lot of game time for some players who haven’t played much. Can’t fault the batters for going out and playing their natural game. When conditions are as tough as they were today, someone’s bound to fall. 150 was never enough. Momentum is crucial at the back end of the comp where you see teams get on a roll and suddenly they become unstoppable.
Have seen it with the Sunrisers. We’ve got some good areas we’ve done well in this season. Hopefully we’ll hold onto those. Some areas to improve as well. Would’ve been a bit more enjoyable if we had a win, but it’s always a privilege to captain a team. Always a privilege to play in stadiums like these.
Faf Du Plessis the winning JSK skipper and Player of the Match for his 87 runs said : We needed that. Was a big game for us to stay in the competition. Really quality chase that. Tricky wicket. Really pleased with the performance all around. Have to be positive in the powerplay and not have a powerplay of 25-30 runs. Always fighting that challenge of wanting to go and putting pressure on the opposition in the first six.
Has been frustrating – feeling like I’ve been hitting the ball well, just finding ways to get out. It looked easy at the end, but if you put a couple of wickets early on, it would’ve been tough. Mujeeb bowled really well. So from a gameplan perspective, it was about making sure you get through his four overs and take chances at the other end.
It was that kind of wicket – looks okay when two batters are in but as soon as two new batters come in, it can be quite stoppy and grippy. I thought we were excellent till around 16 overs (with the ball). Was a bit of a coin flip for me to bowl Lubbe. I thought finger spinners were really in the game. That over didn’t go as well as I would’ve planned. It’s nice to keep learning, at least when you’re winning.
In the match against Paarl Royals, Joburg Super Kings were chasing, with skipper Faf du Plessis opening the innings. He played a brilliant knock, making 87 off 55 balls, which included four fours and seven sixes at a strike rate of 158.18. He first built an opening partnership of 54 runs with Conway and then added 76 runs for the second wicket with Leus du Plooy. By the time he got out on 87, he had done most of the job, and in the end, Joburg Super Kings secured a comfortable win.
This was his season’s best score. So far, he has scored 253 runs in eight innings at an average of 31.62 and a strike rate of 140.15, including two half-centuries. His form has come at the right time as his team is almost on the verge of making it to the playoffs. In the upcoming IPL season, Faf Du Plessis will play for Delhi Capitals. While he might have to sit on the bench in some matches, if he continues this form, he could make a strong case for a spot in the playing
On a slow and grippy pitch, hosts JSK have chased down what could’ve been a tricky target rather easily. The fact that they’ve done that is all thanks to captain Faf du Plessis who was absolutely sensational with the bat. So good was his timing that it seemed like Faf Du Plessis was batting on a different wicket to the rest.
Faf Du Plessis knock of 87 off 55 balls featured 7 sixes, and he just took the game away from the Royals who would’ve hoped to put on a strong defence after Dinesh Karthik’s fifty took them to a fighting score. This result leaves JSK in control of their own destiny going into their final league game.