Opting to bowl first proved to be a stroke of brilliance for the Joburg Super Kings as they swiftly dismissed Jos Buttler and Mitchell Van Buuren within the first three overs. The middle order of the Royals crumbled further with the losses of Jason Roy and Wihan Lubbe before the conclusion of the powerplay.
The Royals found themselves struggling at 49/4 by the end of the powerplay, aiming for a respectable total. However, a resilient 44-run partnership between David Miller and Dane Vilas propelled the Royals to 85/4 by the 10th over.
Nevertheless, the Royals’ fortunes took a downturn as they lost wickets rapidly, including Vilas, Andile Phehlukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, and Wihaan Lubbe in just four overs.
Thanks to disciplined bowling by Imran Tahir, Nandre Burger, and Moeen Ali, the Joburg Super Kings contained the Royals to 132/8 by the 18th over. Despite their lower order failing to ignite fireworks, the Paarl Royals were eventually bundled out for 138 runs.
Sam Cook played a pivotal role, claiming four wickets for the Super Kings, while Nandre Burger secured three wickets.
The Joburg Super Kings made an impressive start to their chase, with openers Faf Du Plessis and Leus du Plooy amassing 63 runs by the end of the powerplay. The Royals appeared disheartened as their bowling and fielding allowed runs to leak in every over. The duo of du Plessis and du Plooy dominated the Royals’ bowling attack, taking the score to 103/0 in 10 overs.
— Jas Pope (@jas_pope93438) February 7, 2024
However, Tabraiz Shamsi provided the Royals with their first breakthrough by dismissing du Plooy in the 11th over. Nevertheless, du Plessis led his side to victory, guiding them to 139/1 in 13.2 overs alongside Reeza Hendricks, securing a spot in Qualifier 2. The Joburg Super Kings will now face the Durban’s Super Giants in the Eliminator at the Wanderers today.