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Joburg Super Kings maintained their challenge for a place in the SA20 playoffs with a victory over the table-topping Paarl Royals at the Wanderers on Thursday.
Super Kings remain in fourth place, but are now level on 19 points with the third-placed Sunrisers Eastern Cape. The defending champions are ahead of the Super Kings based on having earned more bonus points. Captain Faf du Plessis led the charge with a stroke-filled 87 off 55 balls (4x4, 7x6) as the Super Kings cruised past the Royals' 150/9 with seven wickets to spare. "We needed that. Was a big game for us to stay in the competition. Really quality chase that. Tricky wicket. Really pleased with the performance all around," Du Plessis said, as quoted from the official website of SA20. The major difference between the two sides was the Super Kings' start with Du Plessis and Devon Conway (20 off 25 balls) compiling a solid 54-run stand for the first wicket to set up the run chase. In contrast, the Royals lost Sam Hain, who came into the side for the rested Joe Root, off the second ball of their innings. "Have to be positive in the Powerplay and not have a Powerplay of 25-30 runs. Always fighting that challenge of wanting to go and putting pressure on the opposition in the first six," Du Plessis said. Hain was the first of Donovan Ferreira's three scalps on the night with the Super Kings' off-spinner finishing with the excellent figures of 3/23. He was ably supported by the impressive Lutho Sipamla (3/19), who now has 11 wickets in the competition. There were starts for Lhuan-dre Pretorius (19 of 11 balls) and Rubin Hermann (28 off 26 balls), but Dinesh Kartik (53 off 39 balls) was left to fight a lone battle for the Royals with his maiden SA20 half-century. The Royals were without both Root and captain David Miller, who was at home with his first-born after his wife gave birth yesterday, which provided opportunities to some fringe players. "The biggest plus I can take out of today is a lot of gametime for some players who haven't played much. Can't fault the batters for going out and playing their natural game. When conditions are as tough as they were today, someone's bound to fall," said stand-in Royals skipper Bjorn Fortuin. Paarl Royals have already booked their place in Qualifier 1 against MI Cape Town at St George's Park in Gqeberha on Tuesday, February 4. The winner progresses straight to the Final at the Wanderers on Saturday, February 8. The Sunrisers, Super Kings, and Pretoria Capitals are still battling away for the two remaining playoffs. The Capitals faces a must-win clash against MI Cape Town at Centurion on Friday before the Sunrisers and Paarl Royals clash in Gqeberha on Saturday. The third and fourth placed sides will face off in the Eliminator at Centurion on February 5 before Qualifier 2 between the Eliminator winner and Qualifier 2 loser at the same venue the next day. (ANI)
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