Bowlers and batting trio star in DLS win for Jo'burg Super Kings

A joint-effort from the bowlers followed by significant and timely contributions with the bat from Faf du Plessis, Leus du Plooy, and Jonny Bairstow helped Jo'burg Super Kings over the line with the par score in a rain-affected game against MI Cape Town.

After keeping MI Cape Town to 140/6 in 20 overs, the Super Kings reached 82/3 in 11.3 overs when rain intervened and ensured no more play was possible. At that point, the chasing side was six runs ahead of the par-score as per DLS method.

MI Cape Town's start to the game was as tough as the finish. They were asked to bat in testing conditions and were down to 21/2 in the PowerPlay. That became 30/4 in the ninth over, bringing Dewald Brevis and George Linde together for a brief show of a fight. They dragged the team to 73 when Brevis was dismissed in the 13th over. Azmatullah Omarzai followed four balls later, leaving MI Cape Town at the risk of folding for a sub-100 total.

Delano Potgieter, MI Cape Town's hero with the ball in their season opener, showed his batting proficiency to give himself and the rest of the bowlers a target to work with in the second innings. He joined forces with Linde to add a 65-run stand, with 52 of them coming in the last 24 deliveries. Potgieter finished the MI Cape Town innings with six, four, six in a 17-run 20th over, walking off with an unbeaten 44 off 22 to his name. Linde made 48* off 35.

The threat of rain had loomed large all through the evening and finally arrived in the middle of the sixth over of Super Kings' chase, keeping the players off the field for more than an hour. With five overs bowled, the DLS rule kicked in and at that stage, the Super Kings were ahead of the par score, on 36/1. When play resumed, the chase was down to 136 from 140, in 19 overs.

Du Plessis was dismissed in the eighth over by Rabada, courtesy a blinder of a catch from Brevis at deep cover. Brevis intercepted the shot high above his head on the edge of the boundary line, threw it up in the air to cross over the ropes and came back in to complete the take.

Du Plooy and Bairstow were aware of their standing with respect to the par score and did well to keep their side ahead, if only just. Rabada conceded four byes in the same over he dismissed du Plessis, while Bairstow hit Omarzai for a six over deep midwicket to push the Super Kings to 59/2 in 9 overs – just 1 run ahead of par score. The next over from Potgieter proved to be decisive as the batting pair collected 15 runs off it through two fours and a six. A four came off Rashid Khan in the next over as rain clouds began to hover above once again. Rabada added to the drama and tension of the proceedings by cleaning up Bairstow in the following over, but only one more ball was possible before the players had to rush inside.

No more play was possible as roughly 20 minutes after going off, Super Kings pocketed the points by the virtue of being ahead of the par score.