MI Cape Town will take on Paarl Royals in the 1st Qualifier of the SA20 2025 on Tuesday. After a miserable first two seasons, MI Cape Town took a giant step forward to emerge as league winners in season 3. Paarl Royals on the other hand, who made it to the top 4 for the 3rd consecutive time will be keen to qualify for their maiden final.
Western Cape Derby, last time around went like… 💗 pic.twitter.com/bLdWZM4nlb
— Paarl Royals (@paarlroyals) February 3, 2025
Match Details:
MI Cape Town vs Paarl Royals, Qualifier 1
Venue: St George’s Park, Gqeberha
Date & Time: February 4th at 9:00 PM IST and 5:30 PM Local Time
Live Telecast & Streaming: Star Sports 2, Sports18 2 and Disney+hotstar
What is the Pitch Report for MICT vs PR, SA20 2025, Qualifier 1?
Going with the stats of the last 5 matches held at the venue, we can easily predict it’s not a high-scoring venue. Fast bowlers hold a staggering record, picking up 70 percent of the wickets this season. When it comes to batting, the highest recorded score here in the tournament is 174 with an average 1st innings score of 150. Teams batting first have won 4 of the last 5 matches here, hence it’s better to bat first.
Recent form:
MI Cape Town: Won, Won, Won, Won, NR
Paarl Royals: Lost, Lost, Won, Won, Won
MICT vs PR, SA20 2025, Qualifier 1 Probable Winners:
Paarl Royals are expected to win this match.
What is the Expected, Probable Playing XIs for MICT vs PR, SA20 2025, Qualifier 1?
MI Cape Town
Ryan Rickelton (wk), Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks, Connor Esterhuizen / Colin Ingram, Dewald Brevis, George Linde, Azmatullah Omarzai / Sediqullah Atal, Delano Potgieter, Rashid Khan (c), Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult.
Paarl Royals
Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Mitchell Owen, Rubin Hermann, Mitchell Van Buuren, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Keith Dudgeon, Dayyaan Galiem, Dunith Wellalage, Bjorn Fortuin (c), Mujeeb ur Rahman, Kwena Maphaka.
We invested in spin and it did turn out to be historic! 🔥@FairtreeGroup pic.twitter.com/KcW3xrQS47
— Paarl Royals (@paarlroyals) February 3, 2025
Injury Updates:
David Miller is almost out of the tournament with a groin injury.
What are the Fantasy Cricket Top Picks, Players for MICT vs PR, SA20 2025, Qualifier 1?
Top Pick – Batter
Top Pick – All-Rounder
George Linde peaked his performance for MI Cape Town this year, picking up 8 wickets and scoring 115 runs across 9 matches in the competition.
Top Pick – Bowler
Mujeeb ur Rahman has been spot-on with his variations and hardly bowled loose deliveries in the tournament. He is currently the second-leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 14 scalps in 10 matches.
Linde for the bowling award 💪 💥#MICapeTown #OneFamily #MICTvPC pic.twitter.com/atleoAeObt
— MI Cape Town (@MICapeTown) February 3, 2025
Top Pick – Wicketkeeper
Ryan Rickelton, who put on an impeccable show last season with 530 runs, carried the same performance to this year, making 259 runs in 6 matches at an average of 51.8, including 3 half-centuries.
X-Factor:
Bjorn Fortuin doesn’t get recognition for his services with the ball as his performances go unnoticed most of the time. In 9 matches this season, he picked up 10 wickets at an economy of 5.72 with the best figures of 2 for 20.
What are the Fantasy Suggested Teams for MICT vs PR, SA20 2025, Qualifier 1?
1. Dinesh Karthik, Ryan Rickelton (c), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, George Linde, Mitchell Owen, Trent Boult, Bjorn Fortuin, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman (vc).
2. Ryan Rickelton, Rubin Hermann, Rassie van der Dussen (vc), Sediqullah Atal, Delano Potgieter, Mitchell Van Buuren, Lhuan-dre Pretorius (c), Mitchell Owen, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Dunith Wellalage.
To our 12th man of last night, Reeza 👏#MICapeTown #OneFamily #MICTvPC pic.twitter.com/gGKY1MKOCt
— MI Cape Town (@MICapeTown) February 3, 2025
Pre-Match Analysis:
MI Cape Town recorded the highest points collected by a team in the single edition of the SA20 with 35, courtesy of a bonus point rule which was incepted this season. This sheer dominance was required for the Mumbai-based franchise, which hit rock bottom in the previous 2 seasons. Rashid Khan marshalled the troops quite well and it was evident in the outcomes. Out of the 10 matches played this edition, MI Cape Town won 7 of those, while losing 2 and one ended in a no result.
Despite making 7 changes to the starting eleven, they registered their 2nd highest margin of win this year with a 95-run victory over Pretoria Capitals to sign off their league campaign grandly. The new opening pair of Sediqullah Atal (74) and Connor Esterhuizen (69) made the opportunity count, stitching a 133-run stand as Cape Town posted 201 for 5 in 20 overs. Even the revamped bowling unit featuring the likes of Dane Piedt (3 wickets), Thomas Kaber (3 wickets), George Linde (2 wickets), and Dewald Brevis (1 wicket) put on a mind-boggling show to bowl out Capitals for a meager 106.
Paarl Royals suffered a minor setback at the back end of the league phase with 2 losses against Joburg Super Kings and Sunrisers Eastern Cape. However, that didn’t affect their Playoff qualification, as it came too late in the context of the tournament. Royals finished 2nd in the standings with 28 points.
With not many big players in the ranks, they were outclassed easily by Sunrisers with a margin of 48 runs. The absence of David Miller (injury) and outgoing Joe Root (National commitments) will make them a little fragile. Fortunately, they found a like-to-like replacement for Root in the form of Big Bash hero Mitchell Owen, who managed 7 runs and picked up 2 wickets on his SA20 debut. How will they respond under stand-in skipper Bjorn Fortuin is going to matter as they are on the quest to winning their first major crown.
