The T20 carnival on the Southern shores of the African continent is about to kick off as cricket fans around the globe are thrilled for yet another action-packed season of SA20.
MI Cape Town led by Kieron Pollard will be clashing against Keshav Maharaj’s Durban’s Super Giants in the opening fixture of their campaign. The battle between two high-profile outfits which finished outside the playoff places in the previous edition will take place at Kingsmead Cricket Ground of Durban this Thursday.
MICT recently issued an official statement addressing the unavailability of the Afghanistan wizard Rashid Khan who led the franchise in their debut season. Rashid will be replaced by another stalwart Kieron Pollard who holds legendary status in this franchise and recently brought MLC glory to the sister-franchise MI New York under his captaincy.
Along with Polly, the other overseas players who will be making their SA20 debut in Blue and Gold outfits are Liam Livingstone, Tom Banton, and Nuwan Thushara.
As a consequence of their recent failure, DSG team management has also made leadership changes in the roster. The 33-year-old veteran Keshav Maharaj has been named the new captain of the Super Giants replacing Quinton de Kock.
Another Afghan spinner who will be unavailable for this forthcoming battle is the teenage sensation Noor Ahmad due to national commitments.
What have they done so far?
MICT was considered one of the favorites to clinch the inaugural season of SA20 however, the table turned drastically and the Blue and Golds finished last in the league standings.
The Cape Town-based franchise had a fine start to their maiden campaign winning two out of the first three fixtures. This initial momentum was stumbled by two consecutive defeats at the hands of the eventual champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape which led them to a forgettable outing.
Similarly, DSG stood on equal grounds with their counterparts SEC and Paarl Royals at the conclusion of the league stage and the only aspect which kept them away from the semi-finals was Net Run Rate.
They were nowhere near the qualification scenario but an emphatic bonus-point triumph by 151 runs brought them back into the equation. Despite losing the final league game to Pretoria Capitals by 59 runs, the Royals managed to keep their net run rate higher than DSG and eventually snatched the playoff ticket as well.
Head to Head Record
Durban Blues have showcased sheer dominance in this head-to-head rivalry as both encounters of the previous edition were won by them. The Mumbai Indians-owned outfit is still looking for their first-ever triumph over DSG.
Kyle Mayers’ all-round brilliance of 34 runs and 1/10 bowling figures starred in the first chapter of this rivalry in the 20223 SA20 season. The 5-wicket suffering at Newlands Cricket Ground of Cape Town was also the maiden defeat for MICT in this tournament.
The danger man came to the rescue when DSG needed him the most
MICT excelled in the returning fixture and put up a challenging first-innings total of 165 runs on a tough Kingsmead wicket. However, the final result remained the same as DSG once again emerged victorious with a winning margin of 5 wickets.
Key Players
Liam Livingstone: The sudden absence of the 30-year-old was one of the major reasons behind MICT’s disastrous campaign in the 2022-23 SA20 season.
Livingstone was ruled out of the entire season owing to a knee injury and was replaced by Tim David in the squad. The English all-rounder is all set to make his awaited SA20 debut against the Durban-based franchise and set the stage on fire with his explosive skills.
Heinrich Klassen: When the last time DSG graced the SA20 battlefield, it was the 32-year-old explosive batter who stole the show and claimed the Player of the Match award.
Later in the season, Klassen smashed the Capitals bowling unit all over the park to score his maiden hundred in the tournament. He emerged as the lone warrior in the Durban batting unit last season and will be eyeing to replicate the same this year as well.
Predicted Playing XI
MI Cape Town: Dewald Brevis, Tom Banton, Rassie van der Dussen, Grant Roelofsen (wk), Liam Livingstone, Kieron Pollard ©, Sam Curran, George Linde, Kagiso Rabada, Duan Jansen, Beuran Hendricks
Durban’s Super Giants: Quinton de Kock (wk), Tony de Zorzi, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Nicholas Pooran, Heinrich Klassen, Wiaan Mulder, Keemo Paul, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj ©, Reece Topley, Junior Dala
Prediction
As the tournament has just begun, it is quite difficult to scale their strengths and weaknesses and predict the favorites among these two. MI Cape Town possesses strong on-paper strength owing to their star-studded roster under the skipper who has proved himself across the world. However, Super Giants will surely have the edge of thriving on an undefeated record against them while Durban conditions are likely to favor their contention to win this contest.