MI Cape Town secured their first SA20 title with a dominant 76-run win over Sunrisers Eastern Cape at the Wanderers. Rashid Khan’s team denied Aiden Markram’s side a third consecutive title, completing their third victory over them this season.
Opting to bat, MI Cape Town’s top order capitalized on the Highveld conditions. Despite losing wickets, they remained aggressive, posting 181 for 8. Dewald Brevis lit up the innings with a quickfire 38 off 18 balls, while Connor Esterhuizen (39) and Delano Potgieter (26) contributed crucial runs. Ryan Rickelton gave them a fiery start, hammering 29 off Marco Jansen’s first nine deliveries before falling for 24.
In response, Sunrisers struggled against a masterclass from Trent Boult and Kagiso Rabada. Boult’s lethal swing saw him return figures of 2 for 9, while Rabada dismantled the middle order with 4 for 25. Sunrisers collapsed to 13 for 3 early and never recovered. Tom Abell (30) and Tony de Zorzi (26) provided some resistance, but MI’s disciplined attack ensured they folded for 105 in 18.4 overs.
Brevis’ explosive sixes, including a one-handed strike, thrilled the crowd, while George Linde (2 for 20) and Rashid Khan applied pressure in the middle overs. Rabada wrapped up the tail, sealing a commanding win.
MI Cape Town, who finished last in the first two SA20 seasons, have now won titles in every franchise league they’ve played in, including the IPL, WPL, and ILT20. Their triumph was celebrated with fireworks as they joined the list of MI teams conquering global T20 leagues.
Leave a Reply