It has come down to the last four in the SA20 although not before some late drama. The Pretoria Capitals finished as runaway leaders of the log but knockout cricket pays past results no heed.
Pretoria Capitals vs Paarl Royals | Semi-final 1 | Wednesday 8 February 2023 | SuperSport Park, Centurion | 17:30
Pretoria Capitals 72/100 | Tie 25/1 | Paarl Royals 23/20
The Pretoria Capitals host the first of two Highveld semi-finals after the Gauteng sides finished as No 1 and 2.
Up against the Capitals will be many pundits’ pre-tournament favourites and a team stacked with talent in the Paarl Royals.
Anrich Nortje has been fierce for the Capitals and set the tone for their attack throughout.
This match will be a rerun of their last meeting in the SA20 league phase which the Capitals won by 59 runs.
Sri Lanka international Kusal Mendis reminded everyone he was a force to be reckoned with through his performance in that last match.
While Jos Buttler threatened it was also a great day for the Capitals veteran allrounder Jimmy Neesham.
The Capitals have set the pace throughout the tournament and will be riding high following their comprehensive win over the Royals on Tuesday evening. Back them to repeat the feat at the same ground.
Joburg Super Kings vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape | Semi-final 2 | Thursday 9 February 2023 | The Wanderers, Johannesburg | 17:30
Joburg Super Kings 72/100 | Tie 25/1 | Sunrisers Eastern Cape 23/20
Led by CSK veteran Faf du Plessis, the Joburg Super Kings are mimicking their Indian namesake with a hot run at the back end of a competition.
JSK have been on a winning streak and will be tough to stop even for the neutral’s favourite, Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
The Sunrisers have found a way to punch above their weight led by Aiden Markram and a corps of lesser-known English stars.
JSK won both their league matches against the Sunrisers and will be the heavy favourites for this but the Sunrisers should relish that.
Gerald Coetzee has found wicket-taking form just as JSK have been hot and it could be argued that he has been the secret ingredient.
The Sunrisers will need to pull together as a team and hope to not be overwhelmed by the JSK pace attack.
The Super Kings are red-hot at the moment and should be able to book their place in the final against the plucky Sunrisers.
