Defending SA20 champions MI Cape Town have suffered three big defeats in their first four matches, leaving them without a win. Despite the poor start, the team believes they can still reach the playoffs. Key players like Ryan Rickelton continue to perform strongly.
MI Cape Town, the defending champions of the SA20 tournament, are facing a challenging start to their title defense. The team has lost their opening four matches, including a heavy seven-wicket defeat to Paarl Royals at Newlands, where they were bowled out for just 88 runs.
Ryan Rickelton, the tournament's all-time leading run-scorer, has been a bright spot, amassing 199 runs in four innings. His standout performance was an unbeaten 113 off 63 balls against Durban's Super Giants in the opener, though the team fell short by 15 runs. The squad features international stars such as Kagiso Rabada, Corbin Bosch, Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, George Linde, and captain Rashid Khan, all recent national team representatives.
After the latest loss, all-rounder Corbin Bosch expressed optimism. "There’s still a long competition ahead," he said. "There’s still five games and five games for us to win. We’re disappointed, but I do think we have the experience and magnificent players in our squad to turn this around. We still have a competition to win."
Meanwhile, provincial rivals Paarl Royals have rebounded strongly from their own opening debacle, where they were dismissed for a tournament-low 47. They now sit in second place after three consecutive wins, including back-to-back victories over MI Cape Town. Captain David Miller highlighted their underdog status: "The reality is everyone thinks we’re underdogs. Winning against Sunrisers [Eastern Cape] and then going back-to-back against MI… I said to the guys, we kind of beat a world XI. It’s just about understanding and knowing that we can compete, but we have to be on it."
Paarl's bowling has been key, with 19-year-old Nqobani Mokoena taking seven wickets and Ottneil Baartman leading the charts with 11. New addition Sikandar Raza has also impressed, claiming seven scalps, including four for 13 against MI Cape Town.
In other action, the tournament saw its first Super Over between Durban's Super Giants and Joburg Super Kings at Wanderers. Both teams posted 205, but Joburg prevailed in the decider, with Rilee Rossouw hitting two fours in three balls. This marks Joburg's third straight win, placing them atop the table as the only undefeated side.
