Cricket
SA20: MI Cape Town vs Paarl Royals Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction (13/01/2025)
Date: January 13, 2025 First Ball: 17:30 local time (10:30 ET / 07:30 PT) Venue: Newlands Cricket Stadium, Cape Town. The SA20 action heads to the Mother City for a match between MI Cape Town and Paarl Royals at Newlands Cricket Stadium on Monday, 13 January 2025. Cricket betting fans around the world are searching for value bets and key stats that will give you a winning edge. Looking for the best T20 cricket betting sites? SportsBoom has you covered with all the key stats, team form and more! Read our in-depth preview before betting on this match.
Rashid Khan//Getty Images
MI Cape Town have finished stone last on the table twice in the last two seasons. In the 2024 SA20, they collected 13 points from ten matches played which includes three wins and seven defeats. This MI Cape Town team has underperformed and they will be looking to put this disappointment behind them by winning the SA20.
Meanwhile, Paarl Royals finished in 3rd place on the table last season. They lost to the Joburg Super Kings in the eliminator match. Paarl Royals played 11 matches throughout the season which included five wins and six losses.
MI Cape Town played Paarl Royals in the first-ever SA20 match. This game took place at Newlands Cricket Stadium in Cape Town on the 10th of January 2023.
MI Cape Town have won three out of four matches played against Paarl Royals. The most recent match between these teams took place at Boland Park in Paarl on the 21st of January 2024. On that occasion, the home team won by 59 runs.
Paarl Royals batted first in this game. Opening batsman Jason Roy scored a quick 68 runs off 46 balls which included eight 4s and one 6. Jos Buttler also had a good innings with 54 runs from 42 balls which included five 4s and one 6.
Paarl Royals posted a challenging total of 162/3 off 20 overs. In reply, MI Cape Town posted a low total of 103 all out off 18.2 overs. Connor Esterhuizen was the best batsman for Paarl Royals with 32 runs from 36 balls which included three 4s.
PRE-GAME ODDS AND WIN PROBABILITY
MI CAPE TOWN FAVOURITES
MI Cape Town: 4/5 (1.80) - 55.6%
Paarl Royals: 11/10 (2.10) - 47.6%
Forecast Odds – Betting available on Betway closer to event
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
Last Four Meetings (SA20)
21/01/24: Paarl Royals won by 59 runs
19/01/24: MI Cape Town won by eight wickets
21/01/23: MI Cape Town won by 13 runs
10/01/23: MI Cape Town won by eight wickets
MI CAPE TOWN: CURRENT SQUAD
MI Cape Town have the squad to beat any team on their day. We believe the following players deserve a closer look.
Rashid Khan: The Afghanistan superstar captained MI Cape Town in the 2023 SA20. The leg-spin bowler played no part in the 2024 SA20 after suffering a back injury. However, he returned with a bang to take 14 wickets in eight innings at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024. Rashid Khan is back to lead his team in this season’s SA20.
Dewald Brevis: ‘Baby AB’ smashed 162 runs off 57 balls for the Titans in a CSA T20 domestic match against the Knights in October 2022. This is the record for the highest-ever individual T20 score in the world. Dewald Brevis has a batting strike rate of 140 in the SA20. These stats tell us that he knows how to score runs and find the boundary. He will be determined to use the SA20 as a launch pad to show the world that he is back to his best form.
Rassie van der Dussen: The Proteas batsman scored 328 runs from ten matches in season 2 of the SA20. Rassie van der Dussen posted the highest score of 104. He also racked up the boundaries with 23 fours and 16 sixes. In Rassie van der Dussen, MI Cape Town have a player who can steady the innings and hit the winning runs.
PAARL ROYALS: CURRENT SQUAD
The visitors have the squad to win the tournament. If they can be more consistent, they will go far. These players will be key for the Paarl Royals.
David Miller: The South African batsman is one of the most destructive batters in the world. David Miller can win his team the match. If Miller stays at the crease the entire game, chances are that Paarl Royals will end up winning the game. As of the 8th of January 2025, David Miller is ranked inside the top 50 T20 batsmen in the world according to the ICC Men’s T20I Batting Rankings. We can’t wait for Miller time!
Joe Root: The English batter gets his first taste of the SA20 having signed to play for Paarl Royals in the 2025 season. Joe Root has plenty of T20 experience having represented England at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. He also played in the IPL for the Rajasthan Royals and has scored over 2500 runs which includes 265 fours and 43 sixes throughout his T20 career.
Lungi Ngidi: The fast bowler is comfortable opening the bowling or bowling at the death. Lungi Ngidi can mix up his pace. He can bowl a yorker and is a good bouncer with the swing on the ball. Ngidi took 13 wickets in the last SA20 and produced best bowling figures of 4/39. We expect Lungi Ngidi to send the wickets flying out of the ground on a few occasions in the SA20.
MI Cape Town vs Paarl Royals: Top Batsman
Rassie van der Dussen (MI Cape Town) at 77/20 (4.85) with Betway. The Proteas batter enjoys playing at Newlands Cricket Stadium. We think that he will light up the sky with some spectacular shots and top the batting scorecards. Be sure to read SportsBoom’s accurate analysis of exactly why you should bet on Rassie van der Dussen in the SA20.
Make sure you have a look at SportsBoom’s ultimate guide about the best T20 cricket betting tips for wagering on batting performances. We’re sure that if you make use of this information, you’ll be able to make a well-informed bet.
SUGGESTED BETS
If you love betting on the SA20, here are some bets you can place at some of the top cricket sportsbooks.
Paarl Royals Dismissal Method - Caught: The visitors have some big hitters in their team. There will definitely be some risky shots that will find the fielder. We believe that there will be at least one wicket from a catch in the innings.
MI Cape Town Dismissal Method - Bowled: The last time these teams played each other, Bjorn Fortuin bowled Dewald Brevis and George Linde. Lungi Ngidi also clean-bowled Kagiso Rabada. These stats show us that it’s worthwhile to bet on this happening again.
A Fifty to be Scored in the Match: Jason Roy and Jos Buttler both scored over 50 runs the last time these teams played each other. We’re expecting another high-scoring game. It’s worthwhile to place a bet on a fifty to be scored in this match.
PREDICTION: MI CAPE TOWN TO WIN
After carefully studying both teams' form and past results, we believe that this match will have plenty of twists and turns with the powerplay proving crucial. The conditions will suit the batsman with the weather forecast showing sunny temperatures of 26 degrees. We wouldn’t be surprised to see this game go down to the final over. We think that MI Cape Town will win a closely contested game.
Josh has over ten years of experience as a Sports Writer. Josh has created content for some of the biggest sports brands and publications in South Africa. Josh is a creative writer who puts you in the game with his unique content. Josh writes about Soccer, Rugby, Cricket, Basketball, Darts, Golf, and all major sports.
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