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The extravaganza in the Rainbow Nation. The month-long carnival. Try your hardest, there’s no better way for you to begin 2025. Mark your calendars, block your schedules, SEASON THREE OF THE SA20 IS HERE..&nbsp;There’s plenty for MI Cape Town to avenge. After a couple of disappointing finishes in 2023 and 2024 where we missed the playoffs, it’s time for us to set the record right, it’s time to plant the Blue and Gold&nbsp;flag in&nbsp;South Africa!&nbsp;MI Cape Town kickstart the season with a mouth-watering clash against the defending champs, Sunrisers Eastern Cape at Gqeberha on January 9. We come home, to Newlands, on January 13, in front of our Faithful, to make it our fortress. Each team is set to play ten league games (five home and five away), followed by the playoffs. Wanderers, Jo’burg will be hosting the final this time around, on February 8, a super Saturday evening. Oh, we cannot wait. Here’s the MICT schedule for you to bookmark:<figure class="table"><table><tbody><tr><td style="border:1.0pt solid windowtext;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">Date</td><td style="border-bottom-style:solid;border-color:windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right-style:solid;border-top-style:solid;border-width:1.0pt;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">Home Team</td><td style="border-bottom-style:solid;border-color:windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right-style:solid;border-top-style:solid;border-width:1.0pt;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">Away Team</td><td style="border-bottom-style:solid;border-color:windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right-style:solid;border-top-style:solid;border-width:1.0pt;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">Venue</td></tr><tr><td style="border-bottom-style:solid;border-color:windowtext;border-left-style:solid;border-right-style:solid;border-top-style:none;border-width:1.0pt;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">9 Jan 2025</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">SEC</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">MICT</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">Gqeberha</td></tr><tr><td style="border-bottom-style:solid;border-color:windowtext;border-left-style:solid;border-right-style:solid;border-top-style:none;border-width:1.0pt;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">11 Jan 2025</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">JSK</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">MICT</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">Johannesburg</td></tr><tr><td style="border-bottom-style:solid;border-color:windowtext;border-left-style:solid;border-right-style:solid;border-top-style:none;border-width:1.0pt;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">13 Jan 2025</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">MICT</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">PR</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">Cape Town</td></tr><tr><td style="border-bottom-style:solid;border-color:windowtext;border-left-style:solid;border-right-style:solid;border-top-style:none;border-width:1.0pt;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">15 Jan 2025</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">PR</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">MICT</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">Paarl</td></tr><tr><td style="border-bottom-style:solid;border-color:windowtext;border-left-style:solid;border-right-style:solid;border-top-style:none;border-width:1.0pt;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">18 Jan 2025</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">MICT</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">JSK</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">Cape Town</td></tr><tr><td style="border-bottom-style:solid;border-color:windowtext;border-left-style:solid;border-right-style:solid;border-top-style:none;border-width:1.0pt;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">21 Jan 2025</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">DSG</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">MICT</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">Durban</td></tr><tr><td style="border-bottom-style:solid;border-color:windowtext;border-left-style:solid;border-right-style:solid;border-top-style:none;border-width:1.0pt;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">25 Jan 2025</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">MICT</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">DSG</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">Cape Town</td></tr><tr><td style="border-bottom-style:solid;border-color:windowtext;border-left-style:solid;border-right-style:solid;border-top-style:none;border-width:1.0pt;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">29 Jan 2025</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">MICT</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">SEC</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">Cape Town</td></tr><tr><td style="border-bottom-style:solid;border-color:windowtext;border-left-style:solid;border-right-style:solid;border-top-style:none;border-width:1.0pt;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">31 Jan 2025</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">PC</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">MICT</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">Centurion</td></tr><tr><td style="border-bottom-style:solid;border-color:windowtext;border-left-style:solid;border-right-style:solid;border-top-style:none;border-width:1.0pt;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">2 Feb 2025</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.85pt;">MICT</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">PC</td><td style="border-bottom:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-left-style:none;border-right:1.0pt solid windowtext;border-top-style:none;padding:0cm 5.4pt;vertical-align:top;width:116.9pt;">Cape Town</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>&nbsp;

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Gear up! SA20 2025 schedule is here, and MICT will kick things off

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It’s 2016. England have come over to tour South Africa, and Newlands has just finished hosting the New Year’s Test. Now a normal glance at that scorecard would tell you it was a dull draw, with both teams scoring over 600 runs in the first innings, and at the end of five days, not for one point, was there a chance of either team forcing a result. Five full days couldn’t accommodate three full innings.&nbsp;Hah. Don’t be fooled.&nbsp;A 25-year-old English all-rounder had chosen the stage to announce himself to the world. On Cape Town’s hallowed turf, which that season was at its flattest best, he decided to go on a rampage with the bat. From 167/4 to 622/6, he decided to give us a glimpse into what he’d make the entire England team do six years later. Bazball was spotted! &nbsp;&nbsp;198 balls, 30 fours, 11 sixes, 258 runs. It really was carnage. Nobody had ever dared take down the great Proteas bowling lineup like he did that one afternoon. It was not a slogfest, or a case of him just swinging for the hills. There was enough method, and an immense amount of self-belief behind that batswing, which was already monstrous. The Newlands grassbanks, the grand stand, the carpark, nothing was spared. From watching in awe to ducking for cover, it was a loop.&nbsp;He's now a certified legend, a double World Cup winner, and he’s coming back to where it all began. He is coming to make it his home. He is coming into the Blue and Gold in the third season of the SA20. Welcome to Newlands, welcome to MI Cape Town, Ben Stokes. We cannot wait to have you over.&nbsp;

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Big Ben comes home, to Newlands, where it all began! 

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Huge news! Three absolute legends of the game are all set to don the Blue and Gold at the SA20 come season three. WOOHOO!!!!The pre signed overseas players are Afghan star all-rounder Rashid Khan, New Zealand legend Trent Boult, playing for his fourth MI franchise and making their debut for the MI Family are England captain Ben Stokes, and Afghan All Rounder Azmatullah Omarzai. They are joined by Nuwan Thushara&nbsp;and Chris Benjamin who are retained from the 2024 season.&nbsp;The players join the existing pre signed domestic players of Kagiso Rabada, Dewald Brevis, Rassie van der Dussen, Ryan Rickelton, George Linde, Delano Potgieter, Thomas Kaber&nbsp;and Connor Esterhuizen.

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Ben Stokes, Trent Boult, Azmatullah Omarzai all set to join MI Cape Town for SA20 2025

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Let's start building up to season three, shall we! And let's do it with some player news. MI Cape Town announced the signing of domestic South African players ahead of the 2025 season.&nbsp;The pre-signed players include Kagiso Rabada, who continues to lead the bowling attack, and joining him is Dewald Brevis.&nbsp;The retained domestic players have played a key role for MI Cape Town over the past 2 seasons - the opening duo - Rassie van der Dussen and Ryan Rickelton, all-rounders - George Linde and Delano Potgieter, and exciting talents from the 2024 season - Thomas Kaber and Connor Esterhuizen, putting in impressive performances and continuing their MI #OneFamily journey. MI Cape Town would like to thank the following players for their support and contribution over the last 2 seasons and wish them the very best – Beuran Hendricks, Duan Jansen, Grant Roelofsen and Neelan van Heerden.

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ANNOUNCED: MI Cape Town's preliminary squad for SA20 2025

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9 January to 8 February 2025, it’s time for the annual cricket festival in the rainbow nation. The third season of the SA20 is nearing us, and you better mark out the window!&nbsp;MI Cape Town have a lot to avenge after a couple of tough seasons. This is our year, this is our season, and we cannot wait for it to begin.&nbsp;“Following two successful seasons, our plan is to continue to own the South African summer and provide an opportunity for everyone to enjoy some of the biggest names in world cricket, whether in packed stadiums or via the global broadcast. Our fixtures, auction, and player announcements will be revealed over the coming months and planning is already fully in motion. We can’t wait to bring another incredible sport and entertainment event to life for players and fans,” Graeme Smith, the SA20 League Commissioner said.Start the six month countdown! It’s time to bring that Blue and Gold out again. See you at Newlands.&nbsp;

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SA20 2025 window announced: MARK YOUR DATES! 

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We weren’t prepared for this. We really thought the winning momentum and the confidence from the previous game will take us through. But there was nothing lacking in the fight MI Cape Town put up on the field out there in front of the Newlands Faithful, who’ve showed up in huge numbers game after game.&nbsp;The fact that we’ve lost at least five close games in the tournament is a hard pill to swallow. And our Head Coach, Robin Peterson, agreed it was the difference at the end. “Losing close games has been the tale of the season. We haven’t been able to get over the line in any of the close games. It’s hard to explain. We know where the margins are, and unfortunately we repeated errors, which cost us in the end,” he said at the post-match press conference following the four-wicket defeat to the Pretoria Capitals in the final league game at Cape Town on Saturday (February 3).&nbsp;We thought we were 20 runs short. 20 runs is three shots away from winning the game. I’m sure we could have found it somewhere in the powerplay off a guy like Will Jacks bowling off-spin. 18 runs in three overs in the powerplay is hard to take sometimes. Disappointing that we couldn’t get over the line.”But a look back at these ten games will throw up a number of positives. From captain Polly’s stellar onfield leadership, to the amazing consistency of our openers, to the discovery of form by young Dewald Brevis, to Thomas Kaber and George Linde strangling oppositions, to our quicks turning up the heat; there’s been a lot for us to cheer about. &nbsp;“As a combination, Rassie (van der Dussen) and Ryan (Rickelton) got us to consistent starts, which is all you can ask of your openers. But I have to compliment Ryan, he went to another level because he is open minded. At his age, he’s played a lot of cricket, to have an open mind and to try and improve and actually execute and implement, I can’t compliment high enough in terms of what he’s achieved in this tournament. The next best batsman is 150 runs behind him. He’s been outstanding, willing to learn. He had to take a few knocks on the chin after last season, but he has come back better, and hopefully he can go on from strength to strength,” Peterson said.&nbsp;“DB has been part of winning teams with the MI brand before in the MLC. We saw he was able to find his feet at the end. Pity that there are no more games for us. He has got to enjoy his cricket too. He’s only 21. He’s learning, he’s developing, and has a long way to go. The experience will need to catch up with the talent, which will happen in the next two years. I have no doubt that he will be one of the best players in the world. “For now, looking back at the learnings can wait. The season analysis can wait. We’re allowed to be sad today. And our coach says the same.&nbsp;“The reflection process if still raw at the moment. At the moment you have to have a grieving process, be sad first, before you can start coming up with solutions. We’ll just enjoy each others’ company tonight. It could be the last time. You never know, life is short and this is professional sport, so let’s celebrate the good times we had. But realistic, we didn’t achieve what we came here to do.”It's been a wonderful month full of new experiences and of people rolling back the clock. And until next year, stronger, better, it’s time we thank the best fans in the world. Thank you, Kaapstad! &nbsp;

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MI team, MI Cape Town - Coach Robbie reflects on team’s campaign

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It just wasn’t meant to be. We fought. We tried. We gave it our all. We stretched it right until the very end, but it just wasn’t our day, our season.&nbsp;Senuran Muthusamy steals it in the 19th overThe game kept switching hands all through. The equation was down to 24 runs being needed off the last 12 balls for the Capitals. Remember, it was a must-win for both teams. Sam Curran ran in, Muthusamy was facing. The first ball was a proper tight length delivery at pace, but Muthu managed to reverse-lap it over the fence. And then off the last ball of the over, reverse-scooped another proper Yorker for another six. It was his day. It was a gem of a knock. And sadly, we were on the wrong side of it.&nbsp;Rassie-Ryan and Kieron: Our big three rise againThe big stage brought out another super show by our openers, who’ve added feather after feather to their hats through this season. Ryan Rickelton was the aggressor with a 24-ball 35, Rassie van der Dussen was the anchor, batting until the 19th over with a 24-ball 35, and Kieron Pollard finished it off in style, like he’s made a habit of doing for the last 15 years, with a 16-ball 33, lifting MI Cape Town to a solid 163.The act of sharing, ft. our bowlersAll our bowlers were among the wickets. Curran struck first to dismiss the dangerous Phil Salt, Rabada followed it up, before Linde grabbed a couple himself. It was Kyle Verreynne who once again gave the Pretoria Capitals’ innings some impetus, but still, at 133/6 in 17.3 overs, we were on top. Unfortunately Muthusamy and his 18-ball 38 had other plans.&nbsp;Nevertheless, there’s plenty for us to be proud of in this campaign. Over the last month, MI Cape Town have given us plenty to cheer about and be proud of. Today’s a day of what if, but once the dust settles down, we can look back at it with pride as we call upon 2025!&nbsp;

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MICTvPC Report: We gave it everything, but alas, SA20 2024 ends in heartbreak

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In case you’re yet to recover from the batting blitz that MI Cape Town put up on Thursday (February 1), you’re not alone. But let’s not take our eyes off the road. We got the win we needed to get our campaign on track, and now, with a win in the final league game more or less guaranteeing us a spot in the play-offs, assuming Joburg Super Kings don’t win with a bonus point and some astronomical margin, we have a return clash against the Pretoria Capitals, who are in with a chance of qualifying themselves. Kyle Verreynne's century that denied us the bonus point in the last game has done them a world of good.&nbsp;A win for them and a loss for JSK could take them through. But we have our task cut out. A loss will mean curtains. We simply have to win, the bigger the better. Our middle-order seems to have hit its groove, the openers are back among the runs, the bowling seems sorted. It’s just down to everything clicking again. And what better place than our home, in front of&nbsp; 25000 screaming fans, to seal a playoffs spot.&nbsp;What: MI Cape Town vs Pretoria CapitalsWhen: February 3 | 1:30pm local, 5:00pm IST Where: Newlands Stadium, Cape Town What to expect: A sea of Blue-and-Gold, and in typical MI fashion, we seize the moment, peak at the right time, and streamroll everyone in our way.&nbsp;

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MICTvPR Preview: One win done, four more to go. Next hurdle: a return clash against the Capitals

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The warning bells are sounded. MI Cape Town are in a virtual knockout zone, and Rassie van der Dussen set up the 248-run mountain with his seven-ball 21. Here he is, at the post-match press-conference, looking back, ahead, at the younger boys, and backing us to get better and better. Excerpts..&nbsp;On not managing to get the bonus pointI was saying to someone in the changing room, because on a pitch like this, a team can chase 300 with one small boundary, the altitude. We came here to win, a bonus point would have been nice, but you don’t get many opportunities as a team to go into a must-win. It’s good for the competition. If I have it correct, whoever wins on Saturday goes through, and we wait for the JSK result. It’s a fair situation we are in, let’s see if we can pull it together, and how much we want it.&nbsp;On what has been missing from MI Cape Town’s campaign in this seasonWe may have had one good showing against the Royals at home, but apart from that we haven’t had one complete performance. Today was close to it. We have had good starts with the bat but we fell away in the middle and at the end. Today we had a solid batting performance all through. With the ball, it has been tough for us. We haven’t been great with the ball this competition so far.&nbsp; We sort of got it right today. I still feel we haven’t played a good 40 overs yet. We played very well for 30 overs today. If we get it right in all departments, I don’t think anybody can touch us. If we managed to get Kyle our earlier, I don’t think they would have got to 100. If we can get a good 40 overs on Saturday and further on, I don’t think anyone is going to touch us.&nbsp;On Ryan Rickelton’s stellar run of formRyan started really well. He has been the most consistent batter in the tournament. He has put a lot of work into his T20 batting. He went back to the drawing board and put a lot into his batting. It’s great to open the batting with him, because we really bat well together. We communicate well, and at time we are talking to each other when we are not at our best. Today we put on 60-odd in about five overs, which in any situation is a good start for the team. Really happy with that. Let’s hope for Ryan’s sake since he got 500 runs in nine games, that we can get to the playoffs. If he can put in a few more performances, he’s definitely a Player of the Tournament nominee.&nbsp;On Dewald Brevis joining the partyWith Brevis, we saw what he could do. The challenge for him is to put it together. He has learnt a lot through the season. In the last season he started well and then fell off a bit. He is still very young. People forget how young he is. He will take a lot of confidence from tonight, coming from that slump of not putting runs in the first eight matches. Let’s hope for our sake we make it to the playoffs because we have players, guys like Brevis, brings a lot of x-factor, and he is a guy who can win the game on his own.&nbsp;On the Capitals’ performance tonightThey’ve got match-winners in their lineup. All teams are so strong. They played an extra batter as well today. They were happy chasing. So looking objectively, winning a high-scoring match by 30 runs is massive for us, away from home in their conditions. We were put under pressure in some situations, but we were landing that first punch right from the start. But at the halfway stage, the game was won. I didn’t see them chasing 250. I was backing us, because once they lose a wicket, it gets very tough. I was thinking when I got out that we must get to 220. 250 was a great score. The way we fell away at the back, putting in a complete performance, and finding a way to get over the line, is the challenge for us in the next 48 hours.&nbsp;

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Rassie van der Dussen: “If we get it right for 40 overs, nobody can touch us”

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Cometh the hour, cometh the performance! It was a must-win. It was a do or die. And in true MI #OneFamily style, we’ve nailed it. A thumping 34-run win, and more importantly, a jump up to fourth spot on the points table. Here’s how the madness transpired ..&nbsp;&nbsp;It wasn’t batting, it was a rampage..There are times when the scorecard tells you the story, and you really need to add any further colour to it. This was that day.&nbsp;Rassie van der Dussen: 21(9)Ryan Rickelton: 90(45)Dewald Brevis: 66(32)Sam Curran: 22(12)Kieron Pollard: 27(7)MICT: 248/4 (20 overs)It’s simple. We won the toss, chose to bat, and absolutely smashed the Pretoria Capitals out of this one.&nbsp;Dewald is here, and so are the no-look sixesIf the last game against JSK was a trailer, this one was a proper commercial blockbuster. There are few sights in cricket as special as watching DB smoke those no-look sixes down the ground. The spectators at Centurion were in for a treat tonight. He walked into bat in the tenth over with the platform set at 87/2, and took it up a fair few notches in his 21-ball 66, studded with three fours and six sixes.&nbsp;The Rassie start, the Rickelton middle, the Polly finishSo RvdD came out all guns blazing, laid the scene, signaled MI Cape Town’s intentionals, and left. Captain Polly came out carrying on from where he left in the previous game, and ensured we didn’t just stay happy with the 200-run mark, and make a chase for 250. Through it all was the trusted Rickelton, who continued his rich vein of form, and although was more measured, was striking it at 200!&nbsp;Verreynne spoils the bonus point partyWith the Capitals down and out at 129/8, the bonus point looked nearly certain in our kitty. It took a stunning one-man show from Kyle Verreynne, who just kept swinging for the hills, and finding them regularly as he batted with the tail, scoring a century, and denying us the bonus point, which could have been very crucial come the next game.&nbsp;That's what we're talking about, #BELIEVE. It's happening. The stars are aligning!&nbsp;

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PCvMICT Report: Oh yeah! We’re back to winning ways, and back in the top four

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The knockouts are here. The playoffs may still be a week away, but for MI Cape Town, every game now is a virtual knockout, every game is a virtual eliminator. There’s no point starting a tournament well and losing steam midway. It’s always about how you finish. We have five games. But for that, we simply have to win on Wednesday (February 1).&nbsp;We are also in a situation where we need a bit of help from the other sides, Joburg Super Kings and Pretoria Capitals in particular, and JSK, on Tuesday (January 31), losing to the Sunrisers Eastern Cape, was one such sign of the stars aligning for us. It’s simple now, win, and hopefully win with a bonus point, and let everything else just take care of itself.&nbsp;The Capitals are up, in back-to-back encounters. They are in the same boat as us, just as desperate to turn the campaign around. While we might not have seen a W against our name in the last four games, there’ve been plenty of positives. They’re clicking, one at a time. It’s just a matter of exploding together. And what better occasion than to do it on the batting paradise that is the SuperSport Park.&nbsp;What: Pretoria CapitalsWhen: February 1, 2024 | 5:30pm local, 9:00pm ISTWhere: SuperSport Park, CenturionWhat to expect: Two teams battling for survival. Remember, in the 2023 edition of the SA20, the eventual champions, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, scraped through to the play-offs on the back of winning just four league games. There’s no reason why we cannot do it in 2024. It’s all about that word the MI #OneFamily is known for: Believe..

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PCvMICT Preview: It’s simple, JUST WIN EVERYTHING! 

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An understandably miffed MI Cape Town Head Coach, Robin Peterson was at the post-match press conference tonight. He wasn’t too pleased with the side having to bowl with a wet ball and on an outfield that was soaking after the rain break. Here are excerpts from his chat..On the umpires resuming play despite a wet outfieldWe obviously want the fans to get what they want, but when we play a game of cricket, you want a fair contest. That’s what we all want. Was it one tonight? I’m not sure. That’s for other people to decide. Obviously our boys tried hard. It was a wet ball for four out of their eight overs at the back end in the rain. It is a hard one to take. You feel hard done by. But you don’t get everything in life. We will gather and hope to win our next two. We tried to keep everybody happy, despite feeling that we weren’t looked after a little bit, this game.&nbsp;The chances of qualification after this loss?We can still qualify, so we are still positive. Two games where we have to win, two venues where I would think, our bowlers’ points have come from – Centurion and Newlands. Everybody can beat everybody. We are still alive and that is what makes this tournament so great. The boys tried their best. Sometimes your duty of care has to be that there should be a contest. That’s for the umpires to decide. If they can sleep tonight, it’s fine. At the end of the day, we tried our best as a team, and that is all I can ask of the boys.&nbsp;On Pollard’s influence in the dressing roomWe are talking about one of the all time greats in our dressing room. He gives it his all. For him to step out there and walk out when it wasn’t his batting position, shows a lot of leadership. That is what he has brought, a lot of calm, cricket savvy, and plays with his heart. That’s all we can ask for. Outstanding leader, you can’t fault his commitment to this team. He has tried everything and will continue to try everything till the last ball is bowled. We are just privileged and happy that he is a part of this dressing room. A lot of the local guys are learning from him, not just from a cricket perspective, but how to be a professional. If you want to succeed, he’s the guy to talk to, and he has been great in the dressing room.&nbsp;On the learnings from this gameThere is nothing you can take from a game like that. To analyse, we just lost the toss. The rain came and unfortunately, the game got shortened. That’s why Duckworth Lewis in t20 cricket doesn’t seem fair. It should be relooked at. It could be like, you score 97, but you have only four wickets in hand. We know T20 cricket is about swinging freely. They got the luck tonight, and maybe we could be on the right side in the next two games. There has to be a duty to get a fair contest for the fans, not just get a game of cricket.&nbsp;Thoughts on the preparations for the next gameThe preparations are all done behind the scenes. The guys are focused on one game at a time. Every game dishes out new challenges from a mental and data perspective, and we just have to be prepared. I don’t think we learnt anything from this game of cricket. One team took the points home, that’s all about it. We’ll just focus on the next game, we still have a chance. All you want is a chance in these types of tournaments.&nbsp;On the mood in the changing roomTo be honest, the changing room energy has been good. The guys enjoy each others’ company, which is remarkable from where we sit. We would have liked a couple of more wins, but that is T20 cricket. We still have a chance. It’s probably the two venues, where if we want to win with a bonus point, these are the two venues. I’ve been in dressing rooms where we’ve been in better situations, but it hasn’t been that great. We have been in a tough situation, but the boys have been in good spirits. That’s all you can ask for, to believe.&nbsp;

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“Was tonight a fair contest? I’m not sure”: Robin Peterson on the decision to resume play after rain

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No, no, noooo. Exactly what we didn’t want. Rain, the DLS, a wet outfield, conditions and the equation completely against us, and then Faf du Plessis and Leus du Plooy in the mood.&nbsp;A good platform set, only for the rain to interveneOur openers found their groove again, with a measured 31-run stand in 4.3 overs, setting the stage for a big final assault. Sadly, the heavens opened up at the stroke of the sixth over, and refused to stop for two hours straight. And then by the time the groundsmen could mop the outfield, the match ended up being reduced to an eight-overs-per-side contest.&nbsp;Skipper Polly to the rescue, like only he can4, 6, 0, 1, 6, 0, 2, 2, 6, 6 – 10 balls | 33 runs from Kieron Pollard’s bat post the rain, and suddenly MI Cape Town were lifted to 80 in their eight overs, with a DLS total of 98 to play with. Not the best you could ask for on a soggy outfield and with a soaking ball to play with, but at least, this was something to play with.&nbsp;Du Plessis and du Plooy go on a six-hitting spreeIt was almost as if they were competing with Polly, and well, they won it. Faf’s 20-ball 50 and Leus’ 14-ball 41 took them home in a hurry, with a bonus point as well.&nbsp;So what this means is that we simply have to win our next two games, and win them big. We might need a bit of luck from some of the others as well. We know it’s been hard, but our favourite buzzword in the MI #OneFamily – BELIEVE – is what is need. All it takes is one game to turn things around, and when they do, when we get the W against our name, we will be unstoppable!&nbsp;&nbsp;

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MICTvJSK report: Rain, DLS and a rampant Faf turn out to be our nemesis, again!

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Right then, things haven’t quite gone entirely to plan. There’ve been a few too many heartbreaks to take. We’ll concede that. What’s made it harder is the fact that we were right within touching distance in most of these defeats.&nbsp;Never mind. The equation is now simple: We win our remaining three league games, and we will control our fate. With the top three teams having broken away from the bottom half of the table, another three wins will guarantee a spot in the playoffs, given that two of those three games are against the Pretoria Capitals, another side that’s won just two games so far.&nbsp;Let’s focus on this one then: It’s the big one. It’s from the family of the IPL El Clasico. It’s Blue and Yellow taking each other on. We have fond memories from when these two teams clashed earlier, with us securing a bumper bonus point win, thanks to Rassie van der Dussen’s 104 and Ryan Rickelton’s 98. With the Newlands Faithful now right behind us, let’s make Cape Town a cauldron, shall we?What: MI Cape Town vs Joburg Super KingsWhen: January 29, 2024 | 5:30pm local time, 9:00pm ISTWhere: Newlands Stadium, Cape Town&nbsp;What to expect: Apart from the sea of Blue, well, a surface that will aid our style of play, and a pumped a MI Cape Town will give the Newlands Faithful a reason to keep the party going from the stands to their homes!&nbsp;

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MICTvJSK Preview: It’s that time again: Blue vs Yellow, in front of our Newlands Faithful

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A game of the barest of bare margins. There was absolutely nothing to separate the two teams until the final delivery. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be ours. Speaking to the media in the post-match press conference post the four-run loss to the Sunrisers Eastern Cape, MI Cape Town Head Coach, Robin Peterson, backed his boys to come back strong, spoke about the areas the team needed to work on, and the opportunities of making it to the play-offs.&nbsp;Thoughts on the second loss to SEC this seasonTough, obviously. We have had a couple of close encounters in this campaign, and we haven’t come out on the right side of it. We have to go back to the drawing board. Sunrisers, all in all, outran us. They were a little bit hungrier than we were today. With the ball, on the field, with the bat. They got those extra 15-20 runs, and we lost by four runs. We are going to have to look at ourselves and reflect, every individual in the group. Fortunately, this campaign is still in our hands. We will have to do a bit of soul searching and find something within. This is a franchise where there is a lot of expectation on is and the players, so we know we have the talent, it is about summoning the will.&nbsp;On where MICT lost the gameThis is a tight competition. It is a game of small margins. If you look at the data, they had 20 twos, we had around four. From that perspective, it is a hard one to take. We are still in a position to qualify, which is a positive. But we have to start entering the race now.&nbsp;Whether the toss made a difference&nbsp;We would have batted first as well. We would have liked a little more. The difference was the running between the wickets. We got out-run today. I don’t think it was a case of skill. We hit boundaries at different times, but they had a bit more twos. We have to find a way to lower our dot ball percentage, and that will give us the extra 20-30 runs.&nbsp;On the positives from the gameThere’s always positives, but we didn’t get over the line for the second time against the same team. We need to go back and find out why that is. Dewald Brevis getting runs was a positive. Hitting a few boundaries. He hasn’t had a great tournament, and for him to see the ball sail will give him a lot of confidence. We stayed up with the rate exactly the way we wanted to. Patrick Kruger and Ottniel Baartman closed their overs down well. They got way too many twos, showed their willingness to do the tough stuff today.&nbsp;On the areas the players need to work on going ahead&nbsp;I can’t question their commitment. They are pretty motivated as a group. Once you lose close games, the soul searching starts. But we are going to stick as a group. Win or lose, you need to stick together. These matches come thick and fast. Players play all around the world. For me, they need to stick together and show resilience in the competition.&nbsp;Whether the coach needs to do anything differentI don’t need to do anything. There are a lot of proud cricketers in that room. They need to reflect and see what they can bring to the team to get us over the line. We will look inside, come up with solutions and look to implement them. But it is still in our own hands. Last year Sunrisers qualified with four wins, so with a bit of luck, inspiration, and getting the little things right, we can do it.&nbsp;

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“The difference was they took 20 twos, we took only four”: Robin Peterson

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A nerve-wracker, a potboiler, a blockbuster. A heartbreak. We fought, we tried, we gave it everything. Our blood, our sweat, but sadly, it’s ended in tears. It’s a bit hard to take, but we we will fight on.. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That&nbsp;19th over:&nbsp;Six balls, 18 runs, Daniel Worrall the bowler, Delano Potgieter on strike, Kieron Pollard at the non-striker’s. Delano fell first ball, George Linde walked in. Smacked the over’s second ball over long-off, carved a wide Yorker into the point boundary, and suddenly, just like that, the equation was down to a very solid-looking eight off three. Next ball, Polly was back on strike.&nbsp;19.5: Heaved to deep mid-wicket, and Polly ran across. He was always coming back for the second. In that final stretch, he flung himself at the crease, every ounce of his body desperate to make it in. It just wasn’t his day. The throw from Marco Jansen came at his end, a flat one too, and Tristan Stubbs whipping the bails had him a yard short.&nbsp;19.6: Thomas Kaber, the new man in, tried, swung, but sadly, could only miscue.&nbsp;The positives – The batters find their groove&nbsp;Ryan Rickelton was back among the runs. Liam Livingstone, promoted to number three, had a good solid swing. Sam Curran continued his fine form, and it was probably his dismissal that opened the gates for SEC to come back in. And Dewald Brevis, after a couple of tough games, found his groove, smashing three sixes in his 26-run stay.&nbsp;Thushara-Rabada pull things back superblyThe Sunrisers were at 163/3 after the 18th over. Kagiso Rabada got rid of the set Markram and gave away just eight runs in the 19th. Nuwan Thushara then went a step further, nailed his yorkers with his wide slingy action, and got a couple of poles himself, conceding just four runs to restrict SEC at 175/6.Okay, we know this will take a bit of time to get over, but the good thing is that the matches here are coming thick and fast for us to put this loss behind us. We are heading back to our Newlands, and up next are the Joburg Super Kings, who are below us in the points table. Come on Newlands Faithful, let’s get back to 12th man duties, and engulf the Yellow in our Blue and Gold.&nbsp;

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SECvMICT report: Oh dear! Polly inches short of his crease, MICT millimeters short of a W

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We’re entering the business end. We might be fourth on the points table, but let’s face it, we could do with a win after the two back-to-back losses And the Sunrisers, against whom we’ve been on the wrong side of the result in each of the three matches against them, offer the perfect opportunity to tick both boxes, and reverse both trends.&nbsp;There’s a lot that’s gone right for MI Cape Town in the six matches so far: the form of the openers, skipper Pollard’s captaincy, Nuwan Thushara’s super form on debut, Sam Curran’s batting transformation, George Linde’s miserly bowling act, Thomas Kaber coming in like a breath of fresh air. There’s also a lot that can go right, and it’s only a matter of time before it clicks, the middle-order in particular, and boy, oh boy, when it will, trust it to explode and make us an unstoppable force to deal with.&nbsp;&nbsp;What: Sunrisers Eastern Cape vs MI Cape Town&nbsp;When: January 27, 2024 | 1:30pm SAST, 5:00pm IST&nbsp;Where: St George’s Park, Gqeberha&nbsp;What to expect: A slightly slower than usual pitch, but a high-scoring one given the trend. Also, MI Cape Town doing an MI New York by finding momentum at the right time, and then peaking to bring home the title!&nbsp;

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SECvMICT Preview: Opportunity to avenge three Sunrisers-inflicted heartbreaks 

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Our bowlers were right on the money, the Cape Town Faithful were in their element, Durban’s Super Giants were restricted to 157, and Sam Curran and Dewald Brevis were looking good. But alas, on a turning pitch, their bowlers bowled their cutters into the pitch, and we fell short.&nbsp;The Linde-Kaber web&nbsp;After choosing to bowl first on a dry pitch, George Linde, with his left-arm orthodox spin, struck twice off consecutive deliveries in the third over to get rid of the dangerous Tony de Zorzi and Quiton de Kock. Thomas Kaber, with his left-arm wrist spin, then joined the act, dried up the runs, and dismissed JJ Smuts and Heinrich Klaasen in quick succession. At 94/5 in the 15th over, MICT were well on top.&nbsp;Mulder’s cameo the difference?&nbsp;Just when it looked like DSG would end up with a score around 130, Wiaan Mulder struck a 20-ball 38 at the death, lifted them to 157, and perhaps, made the ultimate difference in the game, setting us our batters a tricky target on a tricky pitch.&nbsp;An early wobble and the Sam-infused recoveryRyan Rickelton and Rassie van der Dussen didn’t find their usual rhythm, Connor Esterhuizen, promoted to number three, didn’t last long either, and suddenly, MI Cape Town were 39/3 in the seventh over. But Sam Curran – promoted to number four – seemed to have found his timing. In Dewald Brevis, he found a solid ally, as the dup put on 48 runs in 39 balls. Sadly, a full toss from Marcus Stoinis brought about Curran’s downfall, and Noor Ahmed just cleaned up the lower middle-order. And before we knew it, it was it.&nbsp;Chin up, folks. Remember, in the 2023 season, Sunrisers Eastern Cape won the title after winning only four league games. We still have four games left, and there is still a long way to go in this tournament. It needs just one day where once things click, they’ll stay clicked.&nbsp;

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MICTvDSG Report: Linde outstanding, but Durban hand us a home heartbreak

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From slight batting worries, to the decision to bowl first at the toss in Newlands, to breaking down the reason behind Ryan Rickelton’s success, to the plan for the next game, here’s Hashim Amla having an extensive chat the post-match press conference after the loss against Durban’s Super Giants on Tuesday (January 24). Excerpts ..&nbsp;Thoughts on opting to chase under lightsI think it didn't get worse to chase. We just didn't manage to find any rhythm with the bat and build any partnerships that could get us there. I mean, we would have taken bowling first. It was not a really big score and the wicket played pretty decently.&nbsp;Message to Dewald BrevisMessage to him is very clear. Firstly, to assess the situation, get himself in. He's a very powerful youngster as well. He can hit sixes, can take the game forward. Probably the game today panned out in that manner. But unfortunately, there were not enough partnerships in the middle to set the game up for that kind of onslaught towards the back end. He didn't have a struggle to get runs in the last couple of games. He looked more promising today, getting himself in. Yeah, so that's been the messaging to him. Obviously, we'll back him because he's a really exciting cricketer who can win matches.&nbsp;Pressure on the middle-order because the openers had a rare failure?Yeah, well, it’s a catch-22, when you have such a quality opening stand in first four games, it doesn't give the rest of the batting lineup time at the crease, and doesn't allow them time to get runs under their belt. And so be it. I mean, you're rather heavy that way because obviously you want the partnership up front. So having had that and it has now put responsibility on to rally around and unfortunately we haven't managed to do that.&nbsp;But the guys are just one-innings away from cracking it. Paarl obviously got a bit tougher to bat on. And this wicket, I think, was pretty fair. So obviously we just need to get the runs on the board, certainly in the middle order. You can't expect the openers all the time, although it's been amazing what they have produced. But it's giving another guys opportunity to stand up corner, Livi (Livingstone), Polly (Pollard) as well. And one of the great things is Sam Curran is kind of taking that mantle, obviously as the left-hander in the order. And he's managed to keep the batting a bit stable. So he's done a great job coming in.&nbsp;On the possibility of losing players in the second half of the tournamentWell, we've been very fortunate. We haven't lost a lot of players. And the squad is pretty much staying the same, which is great for us. We certainly believe in consistency. And that's why the team hasn't changed much over the last six games. So it doesn't affect us a hell of a lot, which is good. Giving people consistency and giving the batters and the bowlers time to kind of get into the competition is very important to us. And that's why we've stuck to that kind of system, certainly with the batting order as well.&nbsp;Thoughts on bringing in another batter in place of an all-rounderI don’t think we have many all-rounders. Not sure if Sunrisers is that spinning track that it used to be. Best that we get there and decide what is the wicket is like before tinkering with the batting order.&nbsp;On South African youngsters taking up wrist-spinI hope it inspires youngsters to take up left-arm and right-arm wrist spin in cricket. These wrist spinners are very valuable and are match winners. The fact that we have Kaber playing, his journey has been an amazing one to come into this arena and perform. Robin Peterson had a lot of belief in him and has worked a lot with him. Shamsi has been performing for the last ten years, before him Imran Tahir inspired wrist spin. I hope it plays its part and more South Africans develop that art. It will be good for T20 cricket.&nbsp;On his role during these tough times with the batters&nbsp;In the dugout, Robbie Peterson and I strategize what the best way is for us to win the match. Once we come up with a consensus, we move out to the middle and tell it to the batters. As long as the message is clear, obviously things change as the match goes on, but we believe in pooling our ideas together and coming up with the best plan.&nbsp;On Ryan Rickelton’s solid run in this seasonHe is a hardworker, in all facets of the game, batting, wicket-keeping. He is an intelligent cricket. I have had the good fortune of working with him at the Lions as well. He is a Test cricketer, and finds a way of scoring runs, the way he scores runs. We saw in the first four games that he played in a positive manner. He is a strong lad who can hit sixes. He is a six-hitter, he is putting his hand up to represent SA in the white-ball game. He is a selfless cricketer. You know batting in the powerplay is not easy because you can lose your wicket. He’s a lovely guy to have in the team because of all that.&nbsp;Strategy behind sticking with the same team&nbsp;Every strategic move can backfire. We have kept things consistent for six games. I’d say four of those games, our batting has been good because of the top-order. We believe it will work, which is why we go with this strategy. Allows people to go with a &nbsp;lot of intent and aggression.&nbsp;

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“Our batters just one innings away from cracking it”: Hashim Amla

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The first half’s done. The one-day interval is done as well. It’s been a heady journey thus far – a game where the rain robbed us of a close finish, an actual close finish, a couple of comfortable wins, and the last game where we didn’t quite hit our straps. Through all this, we are safely in the top four, but given how close the competition has been, one win, and we’ll jump into the top two.&nbsp;We are back home, back in our fortress, and up next are the Durban’s Super Giants. They’ve been a team who started off with three wins in a row (including the match vs MI Cape Town where rain played spoilsport), but are coming into this contest on the back of two losses. There really much to choose between them, and it makes it all the more perfect for a mouth-watering clash ahead!&nbsp;What: MI Cape Town vs Durban’s Super Giants&nbsp;When: January 23, 2024 | 5:30pm local, 9:00pm ISTWhere: Newlands Stadium, Cape Town&nbsp;What to expect: Some pace and bounce, a welcome change for our side after the slow pitch on offer at Boland Park. And resumption of the R-blitz after the blip in the previous game.&nbsp;

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MICTvDSG Preview: Back in Newlands for the second half, back to winning ways?

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Here's how the SA20 2024 has been for our team at the halfway stage: five matches, three losses, two wins. What's missing is consistency, but Head Coach, Robin Peterson, knows a thing or two about starting slow and winning the crown. Remember the MLC? Here he is, in the post-match press conference, and we bring you excerpts of his chat..&nbsp;Thoughts on the way the match wentIt was a disappointing loss. It was just one of those games. A lot of our games were closer where we could have gotten over the line, but they played well in their home conditions. They have a team that’s suited to play here. At the halfway stage, we didn’t feel we were out of it. Rassie was caught down leg, Brevis isn’t having the tournament you’d have liked. I thought Bjorn bowled well, and when he picked two quick wickets, we were up against it. Just take it on the chin and move on.&nbsp;On the team combinationPolly likes to switch things around with the ball, and isn’t predictable. Thushara was a good selection given how he performed. We needed to see what he was about for the backend of this competition. It was great to see under pressure, the middle order getting a chance and now we know which direction to go. Even though the scoreline was hard to take, this was a positive. Our openers not getting runs, and to still challenge, is an important thing to learn.&nbsp;On Dewald Brevis’ formDewald Brevis is a quality player. In America, we won the tournament on the back of his batting. He is capable of winning franchise tournaments. He is just a couple of boundaries away from feeling good for himself. He is a quality player, he is a match winner and we believe in him.&nbsp;Whether the team misread the pitch at the tossThis is probably one of the better pitches we’ve played on at Paarl. Given our lower order batters hit sixes means that the ball was coming on nicely. Bjorn bowled fantastically well. Sometimes you just have to doff your cap to the opposition. They played well, we didn’t get momentum. And it’s not because we didn’t read the pitch well. The pitch stayed the same throughout. It spun a little bit, but all in all, the bounce and pace was truer than a traditional Paarl surface.&nbsp;On the path ahead for the teamIt is important to bounce back quickly. You want to get back-to-back wins after a loss in a tournament such as this. We haven’t been able to get that back to back win yet. We have had narrow margins against Sunrisers and Durban where the weather intervened. But that is cricket and you need to stay positive. Once you get a win or two, you can go on a run. We’ll definitely reflect and see where we can go forward from here.&nbsp;Thoughts on the team changes for the next gameStill trying to process what happened today. Once that is done, we can think about Newlands. We have a formula that works pretty well at Newlands. We know what the template looks like. It is vastly different to playing here than it is to play in Cape Town.&nbsp;On how he sees MI Cape Town on the points table at the moment&nbsp;Still some cricket to be played. It is all about momentum in these T20 tournaments. Traditionally you don’t try and get it too early. We’ll try to get a W or two of them. We saw last year that Sunrisers won four games in the league and then won the final. All the teams can beat anybody on their day here in this league. We just need to stay positive. Not get too high when we win, not to get too low when we lose. Just be level headed in our decision making.&nbsp;

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“He won us the tournament in USA, he’s a match winner”: Our young superstar has Coach Peterson’s full support

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They say all good streaks must come to an end, and sadly, this was it for us with respect to the unbeaten streak we’d had over the Paarl Royals, and thereby the prestigious Western Cape derby. Let’s recap the evening..&nbsp;Roy-Buttler do Roy-Buttler thingsThey started off big and went on a hitting spree, that too on a wicket that was on the slower side. The English pair of Jason Roy and Jos Buttler nicely mixed aggression with caution, and at 116/0 in 13 overs, were looking good to get the Royals a score of over 180.&nbsp;Thushara and Co. apply the brakesTo restrict the Paarl Royals to 162 in their 20 overs was a big deal at the half way stage of the first innings, and that’s thanks primarily to Nuwan Thushara, who went through Buttler’s defence, trapped Fabian Allen first ball, and with David Miller retiring out, did well to ensure we weren’t chasing a mountain.&nbsp;The rarest of rare R-failures&nbsp;We know it’s T20s, but we’ve been spoilt bad by Ryan Rickelton and Rassie van der Dussen almost making it a habit of getting MI Cape Town off to a flier. It wasn’t to be today, as they fell early in the chase, and although Connor Esterhuizen, Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone tried their best to rebuild and then go for the counter-attack, the asking rate just kept climbing up, and the pitch kept getting tough to bat on.&nbsp;It’s been a L,W,L,W,L type campaign so far, but with us getting back to Newlands for the next game against DSG, trust the Newlands faithful to play the perfect 12th man and carry us through!

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PRvMICT Report: Alas, Roy with bat and Fortuin with ball end our Western Cape derby streak

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There’s no time to bask in our win over the Royals. The reverse fixture is already here. What that means though is the chance for us to extend our bragging rights over the Western Cape derby!&nbsp;It was a clinical game at the Newlands over Paarl Royals, with a sea of blue in the stands as the Newlands Faithful came out in huge numbers and created the perfect atmosphere and were the perfect 12th man as MI Cape Town romped home in the chase with over three overs to spare. Nothing much should change between then and tomorrow, where although in different conditions, we’d hope to build on the momentum and ride this wave of confidence.&nbsp;The Boland Park is a large outfield with big boundaries, and the surface is usually a spin-friendly one. Another factor we need to account for is the change in timings. It’s an early evening game, and the advantage of bowling under lights might not quite be availed. Okay then, the scoreline stands at 3-0. Time for 4-0?&nbsp;What: Paarl Royals vs MI Cape TownWhen: January 21, 2023 | 3:30pm local, 7:00pm ISTWhere: Boland Park, PaarlWhat to expect: Turn, a lot of twos with the ball going into the outfield, and perhaps a low-scoring thriller.&nbsp;

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MICTvPR Preview: Western Cape derby, take 2! 4-0 time?

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The Paarl Royals may have come into this game undefeated in this year’s SA20, but they bumped into a rampaging MI Cape Town, who’ve broken their streak in style. And with the same swagger, MI CT have jumped to third spot on the points table, with nine points. What this also means is that we remain unbeaten against the Royals in the SA20, having won both games against them in the 2023 season as well. Let’s relive what happened.&nbsp;The openers at it, again!&nbsp;80 runs in eight overs. They say consistency is a rare feat in T20s, but the MI Cape Town openers, in these four games, have managed truckloads of it. Safe to say, that’s where the game was sealed, the chase was killed.&nbsp;Ryan Rickelton, 94* | 52 balls | 7 fours | 6 sixes&nbsp;He may have ridden his luck with two dropped lives, but this 27-year-old is in the middle of the purple patch of his life. Today, he was just unstoppable. In an innings where he kept swinging for the hills, he kept finding them. After Rassie fell, he just switched gears, smashed them some more, and finished the game off with 19 balls to spare.&nbsp;Skipper Kieron Pollard put it perfectly in the post-match interview, “He's a young guy trying to find his way. We are trying to give him a platform for him to succeed, and the sky is the limit for him.”The wily ol’ Rabada ends the Buttler-Roy showPaarl, in the first innings, were off to a serious flier. Jason Roy (38 off 14) and Jos Buttler (46 off 31) were taking everyone to the cleaners. In 4.2 overs, they’d touched 62/0, and just when it looked like things could get out of hand for us, Kagiso Rabada – having been smashed for two sixes off the first two balls in the over – slipped in a smart slower one in the form of a low full toss that Roy miscued to short fine leg. And there came the twist.&nbsp;Welcome to the party, Thomas Kaber&nbsp;David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Fabian Allen. He added his name against theirs on the scorecard. Playing with the extra bounce that the Newlands surface had to offer, his googlies were just good for them to handle. In effect, he broke the Royals’ middle-order, and made sure they ended up with an under-par 172/8 in their 20 overs.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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MICTvPR Report: Another day, another Rassie-Ryan show, and 3-0 over the Royals

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We don’t need to tell you how stellar Ryan Rickelton has been in these first four matches. Okay, let us. Four fifties in a row in a T20 is a rarity, and our man’s done it while opening the batting. Here he is, after taking MICT home, talking in the post-match press conference. Excerpts ..&nbsp;Whether it’s tough opening the batting after keeping for 20 oversWhen you’re giving me an opportunity to bat 20 overs in T20 cricket, it’s not tough. Thought the wicket was good, it spun a little bit. I was unsure what a good score would be on this wicket. I thought we bowled really, really well. Probably one of our better bowling performances in this tournament so far. Happy to restrict them and enjoyed being out there. I wasn’t as switched on as I should have been at the start, but glad to have gotten the team over the line.&nbsp;On being left out of the South African side against IndiaThis summer has been a bit difficult. Getting left out of the national side took a bit of a mental hit. I have been looking for answers both on and off the field. Coming into this innings I knew I had nothing to lose. Robbie set the platform for me, to get the team off to a good start. I’m not worried about runs, I am not worried about getting out, I’m just looking to get the team off to a good start because we have such a powerhouse middle order behind us.&nbsp;On the conditions on offer and what worked for MICTI thought we were going to bat first (laughs). But I’m glad we didn’t. This year the ball is skidding on a little bit more under lights. I thought we did really well to pull it back after Jason Roy and Jos Buttler got going. I think it was more about strong shots. You try using the angles with the smaller side, but the area where I feel we faltered in the last game was that we went bang, bang, and lost two wickets in quick succession. The emphasis thus was just to build partnerships in terms of balls, not runs, and luckily we did that today.&nbsp;On his stellar partnership with Rassie van der DussenThe benefit of playing with Rassie is that we have played a lot for the Lions. I was a junior coming up, he was the senior. One great aspect is that we know each others’ game really well. We discuss options for each player. I know what Rassie is good at, he knows what I am good at, and we try to work that in our game. We want to be the leaders in the tournament, and are actually having fun out there. He took the mantle today even when I was stagnating a little bit. He pulled me out of it. I love batting with him, and hopefully we can continue with this for a few more weeks.&nbsp;Proving a point to the selectors?I’m never looking to prove a point. Always frustrating, but this was a fresh start. We hadn’t played any T20 cricket so far this year for the Lions. For the first time in my career, I am not worried about getting out. I just want to create an impact. Nothing against the selectors. Enjoying my cricket, enjoying my batting, and it is a great bunch of guys.&nbsp;Is this the best he has batted in his life?I don’t know what form is (laughs). The ball rolled with me today. I’m just trying to keep it simple. But the biggest thing is that I am not worried about getting out. If it’s kicking on, I try keeping it going. I’m enjoying my batting and enjoying being out there with Rassie. That’s the most important thing for me.&nbsp;On Kieron Pollard, the captainI’m sure you can see it on the field, he takes the game by the scruff of the neck. He is the most experienced T20 player in the world. It would be foolish not to listen to him. He has played against everyone. He was calm. He didn’t get frustrated when we were under the pump early on. He is a great head to have in the team. He has seen it all. Nothing is ever going to surprise him. The way he thinks about the game is to keep a calm head and execute your skills. A lot of captains could have gone the other way when we were under the pump. He is massive for us.&nbsp;On the Newlands crowdThe crowd has been phenomenal. We love seeing the Blue wave. The ground was packed on Tuesday, and we expected the same on Friday night. We owed them a win, especially at Newlands. Grateful that we could do that. Great to see everyone wearing blue, especially the kids.&nbsp;Thoughts going on in his head after getting dropped early on in the innings&nbsp;I was looking forward a bit too much early on in my innings, I was moving too late and my head was moving. Rassie mentioned it to me. He told me that if I could get one away, you would get another one away and the whole game changes. The first shot wasn’t a great one. Had Mitch hung on to that, I wouldn’t have been disappointed. Just emphasizing, I’m trying to be really still, and if the ball is in my area, I’m going to go after it.&nbsp;On batting with&nbsp;Connor EsterhuizenConnor is a very good player. Not a lot of players know about him because he bats behind me for the Lions. I see him training every day, I see how hard he works, I see the skills he works on. Great to see him have a platform to showcase it. He’s still a little bit nervous, I can see it. He needs a bit of nudging. I think he’s doing himself proud. Great to have him out there for the winning runs. He’s a player who’s going to go a long way.&nbsp;What to expect in the reverse fixture at PaarlI’m expecting it to turn. Day games at Paarl are always tough. The crowd is abusive towards the opposition. Hopefully we can take a bit of momentum. We need to adjust, it is a big ground. We need to see how the wicket will be. It will be about adapting and accepting that 140 or 160 is a good total. Getting another four points on Sunday will be great going into the next week.

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