BETWAY SA20 LEAGUE: MI CAPE TOWN, THE NEW KINGS IN TOWN

Written by: Kamogelo Mogale

MI Cape Town have been crowned 2025 betWay SA20 league champions after defeating Sunrisers Eastern Cape by 76 runs in a sold out final affair at the DP Wanderers stadium on Saturday evening.

The Cape side won the toss and elected to bat first. They were on the crease and managed to post a total score of 181 runs with a loss of 8 wickets, setting up a target of 182 runs for the defending champions.

Star studded bowling duo Kagiso Rabada and player of the match Trent Boult were remarkably fantastic up front, making the ball swing on a dime, while the spinners put the squeeze in the middle overs to suffocate the Sunrisers.

In reply, the Sunrisers were onto the crease in quest to reach target in order to defend their title but the chase got off to a rocky start with Rabada and Boult picking up two crucial wickets in David Bedingham (5) and Jordan Hermann (1).

Not even a 57-run partnership between Tom Abell and Tony de Zorzi for the third wicket could ignite the Sunrisers’ innings, especially after they were dismissed within three runs of each other.

Abell was stumped by Rickelton off Linde, De Zorzi was trapped lbw by Khan and Aiden Markram (6) was stunningly caught by Rabada at point off Linde as the defending champions crashed to 74/5 in the 12th over.

Tristan Stubbs (15) and Marco Jansen (5) were the Sunrisers’ last hope, but after struggling in an 18-run stand, Stubbs popped an easy catch off Boult to Khan at mid-off.

After two seasons after finishing stone last on the table, MI Cape Town’s victory has been one of the most astounding comebacks in South African cricket history as they completed a fairytale win, with captain Rashid Khan missing out last season due to injury, returning to lead his charges to dethrone the Sunrisers.