SUPER CLASHES FOR SUPER WEEKEND

This coming weekend’s Betway SA20 action will see derbies up and down the country. Starting on Friday, Cape rivals MI Cape Town and Paarl Royals go head-to-head at Newlands before the return fixture on Sunday at Boland Park may well settle the provincial bragging rights.

In between those two fixtures, on a double-header Saturday, coastal neighbours Durban’s Super Giants and Sunrisers Eastern Cape will meet at Kingsmead (13:30) before Joburg Super Kings and Pretoria Capitals face off in a ‘Big City Battle’ at Wanderers (17:30).

Fans at the League’s incredible venues will be treated to big hits, cartwheeling wickets, pumping Party Zones and opportunities aplenty to join the Betway Catch 2 Million club.

On-field, defining battles will no doubt settle debates about who will be the top dogs in their region. Here’s our pick of them:

RYAN RICKELTON (MI CAPE TOWN) vs LUNGI NGIDI (PAARL ROYALS)

At Newlands on Friday evening, it will be a battle between the form batter of Season 2, in Ryan Rickelton against the form bowler, Lungi Ngidi.

Rickelton has helped himself to 243 runs courtesy three consecutive fifties, at a strike rate of 182.70. Of his 33 boundaries to date, 19 have been sixes to show that the left-handed opener’s timing is in tune. Ngidi, meanwhile, is the League’s leading wicket-taker with eight, and has claimed those at an average of 9.87 and an economy rate of just 6.67.

If anything counts in either’s favour, it is that Ngidi has dismissed one of the openers in each of his three matches to date… will it be four times at Newlands come 17:30?

HEINRICH KLAASEN (DURBAN'S SUPER GIANTS) vs AIDEN MARKRAM (SUNRISERS EASTERN CAPE)

On Saturday afternoon, Sunrisers Eastern Cape will look to do what Pretoria Capitals couldn’t on the opening weekend – get revenge in a reverse match. To do so over Durban’s Super Giants at Kingsmead they will need their main man, captain Aiden Markram, to play a key role. Last season’s Betway Player of the Season is yet to fire but a match-defining innings is never far away for ‘Sauce’ - not forgetting a sneaky wicket or two when he’s bowling).

On the other hand, Heinrich Klaasen has been in top form, particularly at Kingsmead where he’s deposited 10 sixes into the stands. Innings of 85 against MI Cape Town and 64 against Joburg Super Kings have secured ‘Klaasie’ two Player of the Match trophies already and the Durban locals will anticipate a third on the way to doing the double over their coastal rivals.

LEUS DU PLOOY (JOBURG SUPER KINGS) vs WILL JACKS (PRETORIA CAPITALS)

Neither Leus du Plooy’s Joburg Super Kings nor Will Jacks’ Pretoria Capitals started the season like they would have anticipated, but not for the lack of the two big hitters trying.

Du Plooy, in particular, has so far played a lone hand in the JSK batting line-up, with innings of 48 (off 24 balls) against MI Cape Town and 71 (off 43 balls) against Paarl Royals on Wednesday ultimately coming in losing causes.

Jacks, meanwhile, didn’t come off in the Capitals opener against the Royals but in the reverse at his favourite Centurion smashed 58 off 34 balls and, as his wont, made his fourth Betway Catch 2 Million winner. On Thursday, against Durban’s Super Giants, the Englishman went one better. Yes, he one of his record nine sixes was again caught one-handed but he finally claimed an SA20 century, in record time of just 42 balls as last season’s runners-up got their first ‘W’ on this year’s log table.

ANDILE PHEHLUKWAYO (PAARL ROYALS) vs KIERON POLLARD (MI CAPE TOWN)

Andile Phehlukwayo was only a Wildcard signing for Paarl Royals in Season 1 and played just four matches but this campaign he has been in from the start and the confidence shown in him has borne fruit on the field. His bowling has been back to its canny best while his rapid-fire 28 not in the opener against Pretoria Capitals helped him claim the Player of the Match award – and shown that he will be a double-threat come Sunday at Boland Park.

Down the N1, Kieron Pollard was only meant to be a three-match stand-in for Rashid Khan but with the latter’s ongoing injury recovery, the 36-year-old T20 legend is still around and having a notable impact on the belief of the MI Cape Town squad. They may have come short, results-wise against Durban’s Super Giants and Sunrisers Eastern Cape, but the freedom the batters are displaying and the firepower within their bowling ranks means a big win is always on the cards for the men in blue.