• MI Cape Town defeated Paarl Royals by 39 runs in the Qualifier 1 of the SA20 2025.

  • Cape Town became the first team in this season to enter into the final of the prestigious tournament.

Twitter reactions: Ryan Rickelton shines as MI Cape Town outplays Paarl Royals to enter the final of SA20 2025
Ryan Rickelton against Paarl Royals in Qualifier 1 9Image Source: X)

The Qualifier 1 of the SA20 2025 saw an intense contest between MI Cape Town and Paarl Royals at the St. George’s Park in which Cape Town triumphed over the Royals and entered the final of the league for the first time in their history. The Royals after suffering a defeat will now have to play a do-or-die Qualifier 2 against the winner of the eliminator match between Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Joburg Super Kings.

A determined effort from Cape Town with the bat

Royals made a decision to bowl first after winning the toss and saw their bowlers put on an average display from the Cape Town batting unit. Like most of the season, Cape Town had a solid start with the bat, Ryan Rickelton and Rassie van der Dussen provided their team a remarkable base to reach a competitive total in the match. Rickelton, in particular, led the team from the front and played an emphatic knock 🐻of 44 runs off 27 balls with 4 boundaries and 2 towering sixes. Rickelton’s innings kept the run rate on the 𒐪high and added pressure on Royals to get the breakthrough as early as possible.

Cape Town’s middle and lower order too dominated the course of the play and stitched a total of 199/4 in 20 overs. Notable contributions from Dewald Brevis, Delano Potgieter and George Linde paved the way for a fine day for Cape Town with the bat and further corner the Royals💫 throu♋gh the added scoreboard pressure to chase down the total.

Disappointment for Royals

For the Royals, the team’s concerns regarding plan execution and building momentum which emerged during the last 2 games of the season continued in the qualifier as well. While Royals’ bowling unit gave away runs and allowed Cape Town to reach a competitive total, their batters could not withstand the incoming onslaught from Cape Town bowlers. The run-chase went as a show of desperation and mediocrity from the Royals batters as they threw their wickets away quickly one after the other.
Royals skipper David Miller and wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik were the only two batters which tried to hold on some hope for th⛦eir side and put runs on the board. But, even these two batters could not sail their team through and give their wickets away in hours of need. Ultimately, Royals were bowled out on 160 runs in 19.4 overs as Cape Town won the match by 39 runs.

Also Read: “His wisdom is invaluable…”: David Miller celebrates Dinesh Kaꦚrthik’s influence in SA20 20🍒25

Here’s how twitter reacted

Also Watch: Dinesꦬh Karthik smacks Wihan Lubbe for three consecu🐠tive sixes in SA20 2025

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Pranjal is a postgraduate in Journalism with a lifelong passion for cricket. From a young age, cricket has been an integral part of his life, creating some of his most cherished memories. His enthusiasm for the sport continues to drive his writing. Pranjal began his professional journey as a writer for radio and television before transitioning to full-time sports journalism in 2021. Over the years, he has covered a wide variety of sports, showcasing his versatility as a writer. Cricket remains his foremost passion, both as a fan and a journalist.You can connect with Pranjal on and follow him on or write to him at pranjal.mishra@betvisa68.com.