SA20 2024: MI Cape Town keep playoff hopes alive despite Kyle Verreynne's record-breaking knock

Friday, 02 February 2024: Kyle Verreynne rewrote the Betway SA20 record books with the highest-ever score of 116 not out, but it was not enough to prevent the Pretoria Capitals from falling to a 34-run defeat to MI Cape Town at Centurion on Thursday evening.

Verreynne enthralled the Centurion crowd with a 52-ball innings that included seven boundaries and nine sixes, to better Joburg Super Kings’ captain Faf du Plessis’s 113 not out from Season 1.

He single-handedly prevented MI Cape Town from claiming the invaluable bonus point on offer after the Capitals were reduced to 42/6 in their pursuit of the visitors’ mammoth 248/4.

Centurion certainly was a batter’s paradise on the night, with a new league record match aggregate of 32 sixes struck. The competition’s leading run-scorer, Ryan Rickelton, and Rassie van der Dussen (21 off 9 balls) set the tone for the evening with a rapid 64-run opening stand for MI Cape Town in only five overs.

The MICT opening pair rediscovered their touch after going quiet in recent matches after a blitzkrieg start to Season 2. Rickelton was certainly back to his best with the left-hander striking the ball sweetly again as he plundered 90 off just 45 balls (10x4, 5x6). It was Rickelton’s third score within the 90’s in Season 2 along with an 87.

Dewald Brevis also came to the party with 67 not out, off only 32 balls (3x4, 6x6) before Kieron Pollard (27* off 7 balls) and Sam Curran (22* off 12 balls) delivered the finishing touch. Capitals’ seamer Daryn Dupavillion suffered the misfortune of conceding the worst figures in SA20 history of 1/73.

MI Cape Town's seamers Kagiso Rabada (2/32) and Nuwan Thushara (3/37) then showed their class by adapting to the batting-friendly conditions before Verreynne took control with a spellbinding innings to get the Capitals up to 214/8.

The two sides will meet again at Newlands on Saturday with MI Cape Town (13 points) and Pretoria Capitals (10) both hoping for a Joburg Super Kings (13) defeat to log-leaders Durban’s Super Giants in order to give one of them an opportunity of clinching the final playoff spot on offer in Betway SA20 Season 2.