As the SA20 2025-26 season reaches its critical business end, the Mother city prepares for a blockbuster clash at Newlands. Today’s match sees the high-flying Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) taking on a desperate MI Cape Town (MICT) in a repeat of last season’s final.
While Sunrisers have already secured their playoff berth and sit comfortably at the top, MI Cape Town is fighting for survival, needing a win to keep their outside hopes of qualification alive.
The defending champions have had a season to forget, currently languishing at the bottom of the table. Despite having the tournament’s leading run-scorer in Ryan Rickelton, they have struggled to find collective consistency. Their recent defeat to Pretoria Capitals highlighted a fragile middle order that has failed to capitalize on strong starts.
The two-time champions have been the team to beat. Led by Tristan Stubbs, they are coming off a dominant 61-run victory over Joburg Super Kings. With Quinton de Kock in beast mode and Anrich Nortje firing thunderbolts, they look like a complete unit heading into the playoffs.
MICT vs SEC, SA20 2025-26: Match details
- Date and Time: January 16 (Friday); 9:00 pm IST / 03:30 pm GMT / 5:30 pm Local
- Venue: Newlands, Cape Town
MICT vs SEC, Head-to-Head Record in SA20:
Matches played: 7 | MI Cape Town won: 3 | Sunrisers Eastern Cape won: 4 | No result/Tied: 0
Newlands Pitch Report
Newlands in Cape Town is set to offer a batter-friendly surface for the SA20 showdown. Known for its consistent bounce and steady pace, the pitch allows top-order batters to settle quickly and play their strokes with confidence. The rapid outfield further boosts scoring, with teams regularly posting 170–180-plus totals in night games. Fast bowlers can find a hint of movement with the new ball, while spinners may come into play during the middle overs as the wicket slows slightly. Dew is likely to assist the side batting second, making bowling first a tempting choice for captains. All signs point to a high-scoring contest.
Squads
MI Cape Town: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Rassie van der Dussen, Nicholas Pooran, Jason Smith, Jacques Snyman, Tom Moores, George Linde, Rashid Khan (c), Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult, Dane Piedt, Karim Janat, Thomas Kaber, Tiaan van Vuuren, Tristan Luus, Daniel Lategan, Reeza Hendricks, Dwaine Pretorius, Corbin Bosch
Sunrisers Eastern Cape: Jonny Bairstow, Quinton de Kock (wk), Tristan Stubbs (c), Lewis Gregory, Matthew Breetzke, Marco Jansen, Patrick Kruger, Senuran Muthusamy, Adam Milne, Anrich Nortje, Chris Wood, Allah Ghazanfar, JP King, Christopher King, Jordan Hermann, Mitchell Van Buuren, Tharindu Rathnayake, James Coles, Beyers Swanepoel, Lutho Sipamla
MICT vs SEC, SA20 2025-26: Today’s Match Prediction
Case 1:
- MI Cape Town wins the toss and bats first
- MI Cape Town’s powerplay score: 50-60 (6 overs)
- MI Cape Town’s total score: 190-200
Case 2:
- Sunrisers Eastern Cape wins the toss and bats first
- Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s powerplay score: 45-55 (6 overs)
- Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s total score: 180-190
Match result: Team batting first to win the contest
