Kagiso Rabada, centre, celebrates with MI Cape Town captain Rashid Khan, left, and Ryan Rickelton, right. Picture: SA20
It was emphatic, dominant, powerful, and a big statement when MI Cape Town swept aside the Paarl Royals by 39-runs at St George’s Park on Tuesday night to cruise into the SA20 final.
That confirmed the Cape side as firm favourites to win season three’s title, and it will take a monumental effort from whoever makes the final to defeat them.
It is an amazing turnaround from a team that finished bottom of the log in the first two seasons of the competition, despite them boasting one of the strongest teams on paper.
Over all three seasons so far MI CT have had a core group of local stars, with Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Rassie van der Dussen, George Linde and Dewald Brevis the standout names.
On the international front they had stars like Rashid Khan, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Jofra Archer, Tim David and Odean Smith in season one, while in season two Kieron Pollard stepped in for Khan, Nuwan Thushara came in for Archer, and they retained Curran and Livingstone.
In season three they actually seemed to be depowered a bit as they lost Curran, Livingstone and Pollard, but Khan returned and Trent Boult arrived, while Ben Stokes was set to be their marquee signing, only for him to be injured on international duty shortly before the competition.
Needless to say every season MI CT have boasted one of the strongest teams in the competition, so it was strange to see them misfire so badly over the first two seasons, winning just six games while losing 14 over both campaigns.
This season, however, they have finally played to their ability and now stand on the cusp of a first ever SA20 title.
They enjoyed a superb pool stage campaign, winning seven games, losing twice and having one no result, and with five of those wins featuring a bonus point, it just shows how dominant they were in most of their matches.
They took that form into the qualifier and brushed aside the Royals, who also won seven games in the pool phase, while losing three, indicating that it probably should have been a closer tussle in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday.
After the match in Gqeberha, MI CT captain Khan said that it was the team’s togetherness and how it has mostly been a team effort, with several players all putting up their hands, that has seen them get this far.
“It’s a great feeling (to reach the final). Especially finishing at the bottom in the first two seasons. So making it to the playoffs this season was a relief,” said Khan.
“The way we played in the group stage was brilliant and then in the first qualifier (Tuesday night). Everyone’s taking responsibility.
“What impresses me so much is that under pressure everyone’s performing so well. I think it has been a great effort in all three departments with ball, bat and in the field.”
MI Cape Town now head into the final at the Wanderers on Saturday on the back of six straight wins in the competition, and it remains to be seen if the Royals, double defending champions, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, or Joburg Super Kings will be able to stop them.
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