SA20: Sunrisers Eastern Cape lock in Qualifier 1 spot, end MI Cape Town’s playoff hopes

Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) players thank their fans the Orange Army during match 29 of the Betway SA20 season 4 between Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) and MI Cape Town (MICT) held at St George's Park in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa on the 18th January 2026 (Photo by Shaun Roy / Sportzpics for SA20)

Sunrisers Eastern Cape delivered a commanding performance that not only secured the two-time champions’ place at the top of the SA20 table but also dashed MI Cape Town’s Season 4 playoff aspirations, edging them out by seven wickets in a thrilling contest at St George’s Park on Sunday. MI Cape Town required a bonus-point victory to stay in contention, but now the final playoff place on offer will be a straight shootout between Joburg Super Kings and Durban’s Super Giants.

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DSG’s hopes hinge on JSK losing to Paarl Royals at Boland Park on Monday. A victory for JSK will see DSG eliminated.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! The Royals can still overtake the Sunrisers at the top of the table should they beat JSK, but Adrian Birrell’s side have secured their place in Qualifier 1 at Kingsmead on Wednesday, as they can no longer finish outside the top two in the final Betway SA20 standings. The seven-wicket victory was the perfect send-off for the Orange Army, as the unofficial 12th man once again turned out in their thousands for the fifth game in succession to support the local team. They were not disappointed, with new Australian import Chris Green delivering an excellent performance with the ball on his Sunrisers debut. The off-spinner, who was born in South Africa, made the most of the spin-friendly conditions to finish with figures of 3/29. He was ably supported by fellow off-spinner James Coles (1/17) as the Sunrisers limited MI Cape Town to 148/6. Reeza Hendricks was the cornerstone of MI Cape Town’s innings with an unbeaten 70 (44 balls, 8x4, 1x6), while George Linde struck a quickfire 30 off 17 balls (4x6), but they needed much more to push for a bonus-point win.

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Sunrisers Eastern Cape Joburg Super Kings Durban’s Super Giants Paarl Royals

Sunrisers’ chase once again revolved around Quinton de Kock (56 off 49 balls, 6x4, 2x6), with the in-form opener sharing a 109-run partnership for the second wicket with Matthew Breetzke (66 off 55 balls, 8x4). Both departed with victory in sight, creating tension around the ground, but Jordan Hermann held his nerve to hit the winning runs off the penultimate ball of the match and send St George’s Park into seventh heaven.

Brief Scores

MI Cape Town: 148 for 6 in 20 overs (Reeza Hendricks 70 not out, George Linde 30; Cameron Green 3/29) Sunrisers Eastern Cape: 149 for 3 in 19.5 overs (Matthew Breetzke 66, Quinton de Kock 56; Corbin Bosch 2-29)

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