The defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape became the second team to qualify for the SA20 playoffs for the 2024 edition and took Paarl Royals with them to the top four. Sunrisers shrugged the Joburg Super Kings like dust at the Wanderers to win their fifth game and earn a bonus point as well. The Super Kings were shot out for a paltry score of 78 and the Sunrisers chased it down in just 11 overs to move to the second place in the points table.
Three spots have been sealed with Durban's Super Giants at the top, Sunrisers Eastern Cape in second place and the Paarl Royals at third. Only one spot is left to be confirmed and three teams are jostling for it and all of them have an equal chance.
After the loss on Wednesday, January 31 at the Bullring, the Super Kings find themselves in a must-win situation even though they are in fourth place with 13 points currently. Since the Pretoria Capitals and MI Cape Town, the teams below them play each other twice, at least one team will have more points. Capitals currently are in fifth place with 10 points and MI Cape Town at the bottom with 9 points.
In any of the three scenarios - Capitals and MI win a match each or Capitals win both or MI Cape Town win both - JSK is set to slip to fifth place and hence, they need to win at any cost in their final league stage game. However, it is against the current table-toppers Durban's Super Giants. Can JSK upset the apple cart of the high-flying DSG?
If they do, then either MI Cape Town or Pretoria will have to ensure that they win both games against each other. It is going to be a proper dogfight for the final spot in the playoffs. The Capitals and MI Cape Town will be up against each other for the first round on Thursday, February 1 in Centurion.
