Match Predictions: Match tips & prediction for MI Cape Town vs Paarl Royals Qualifier 1 in Gqeberha
It’s the Qualifier 1 of the SA20 2025 with MI Cape Town and Paarl Royals taking on each other on Tuesday, February 4 for a spot in the final. The match is set to take place at Boland Park, Gqeberha, with the scheduled start time of 9:00 PM IST.
Check out our analysis for the MICT vs PR match with the top betting tips and predictions.
Here are some of the best bets for this MI Cape Town vs Paarl Royals SA20 match.
MI Cape Town have Ryan Rickelton and Rassie van der Dussen at the top of the order. Both have been in terrific form, with over 50 average individually. Paarl Royals have Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Mitch Owen, and while both are in good form, they lack experience.
MI Cape Town have shown their dominance throughout the season with multiple players stepping up when needed. Ryan Rickelton and Rassie van der Dussen have been solid at the top, while Reeza Hendricks, Dewald Brevis, Delano Potgieter, and George Linde have also done well. They have a world class bowling attack in Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult, Corbin Bosch and Linde. Paarl Royals have been very good tactically but look depleted without Joe Root and David Miller.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman is the second leading wicket-taker in the competition. He has taken 14 scalps at an excellent economy of 6.52 and should be a big threat to MI Cape Town on this pitch.
Boland Park in Gqeberha is the toughest venue in the country for batters, with both seamers and spinners finding good assistance. The average first innings score here in the last three years reads 144. You can expect a similar pitch for this match.
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The head-to-head record between these two teams is in favour of MI Cape Town. The men in blue and gold have won four out of six games while Paarl Royals claimed the other two.
MI Cape Town have been rampant in the tournament and it feels they are not even playing at their full potential. They topped the league stage with seven wins, five of which were with bonus points. In the previous game, they hammered Pretoria Capitals by 95 runs while most of their top players were rested.
Possible XI: Rassie van der Dussen, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Dewald Brevis, Sediqullah Atal, Delano Potgieter, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Rashid Khan (c), Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult
Paarl Royals were brilliant, winning seven of their first eight games. But the wheels came off after captain David Miller was sidelined with a groin injury. They lost the final two group fixtures against Joburg Super Kings and Sunrisers Eastern Cape. Mitch Owen replaced Joe Root at the top while Miller’s participation in this game remains uncertain.
Possible XI: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Mitch Owen, Rubin Hermann, Mitchell Van Buuren, Keith Dudgeon, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Dunith Wellalage, Dayyaan Galiem, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Bjorn Fortuin, Kwena Maphaka
Check out the details of where to watch the MI Cape Town vs Paarl Royals SA20 match in Gqeberha.
10 out of 16 matches played at Newlands in the SA20 were won by the chasing side. With that bias in mind, teams should look to bowl first.
Take a look at the weather forecast, key matchup and favourites to get a better picture of the match.
The weather for this match could be a concern as it could be cloudy with showers in some spots. There could be around 90% cloud cover with the radar showing 41% chance of precipitation. The humidity levels are likely to be very high at around 89% with wind gusts blowing up to 35 kmph. The temperature is likely to range between 21°C to 25°C.
The bookmakers have MI Cape Town as favourites to win this match with a 62% chance of winning.
Ryan Rickelton vs Bjorn Fortuin could be a key battle. Rickelton has scored 66 off 57 against the left-arm orthodox spinner and has lost his wicket three times.
