NEW DELHI: Ryan Rickelton made a triumphant return to MI Cape Town, scoring a brilliant 89 off 39 balls with eight fours and six sixes, leading his team to a seven-wicket bonus point victory over Joburg Super Kings.
In another match, Joe Root‘s exceptional performance guided the Royals to an eight-wicket win against Pretoria Capitals at Centurion.
The packed Newlands stadium witnessed an exciting ‘El Clasico’ match.
JSK captain Faf du Plessis chose to bat first and scored an impressive 61 from 38 balls, surpassing 11,000 T20 career runs – a South African record.
Devon Conway contributed 35 runs in their 97-run opening partnership, but JSK lost momentum when four wickets fell for just nine runs, with Reeza Hendricks taking 2/11. Jonny Bairstow’s unbeaten 43 helped JSK reach 172/5.
Rickelton, fresh from his 259 against Pakistan in the Test match at the same venue, dominated the chase.
He formed a 70-run opening partnership with Rassie van der Dussen (39) and then added 92 runs with Hendricks (34 not out), securing victory with one ball remaining.
In the earlier match, Root’s unbeaten 92 off 60 balls, featuring 11 fours and two sixes, steered the Royals to chase down 212.
Despite losing Lhuan-dre Pretorius early, Rubin Hermann impressed on debut with 56 runs. Root and Hermann’s 125-run partnership, followed by Root and Miller’s unbroken 88-run stand, secured the win.
The Capitals’ strong batting display, including contributions from Smeed (54), Gurbaz (42), and Verreynne (45), proved insufficient.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s economical bowling (2/28) proved crucial for the Royals.
The day also celebrated four Catch R2-Million winners: Martin Boshoff at Centurion, and Richard Roos, Gavin Daries, and Brendan Lowen at Newlands, all completing remarkable one-handed catches.
