Root makes it three in a row for Royals; Rickleton takes MICT to top

Paarl Royals secure an eight-wicket win over Pretoria Capitals

A magnificent unbeaten 92 off 60 balls from Joe Root, along with fiery contributions from Rubin Hermann (56 off 33) and David Miller (48* off 24), guided Paarl Royals to a comfortable victory over Pretoria Capitals. The Royals successfully chased a formidable target of 213 with two balls to spare.

Earlier in the day, Pretoria Capitals posted a strong total of 212/5 in 20 overs, driven by a 76-run stand between Rahmanullah Gurbaz (42 off 29) and Will Smeed (54 off 34). Kyle Verreynne (45 off 23) and Jimmy Neesham (28* off 13) provided crucial late-innings support.

MI Cape Town dominates Joburg Super Kings, takes the top spot

An outstanding 39-ball 89 from Ryan Rickelton led MI Cape Town to a seven-wicket win over Joburg Super Kings. The victory was set up by Rickelton's belligerence, which helped MI Cape Town chase down the target of 172 with 4.1 overs to spare.

Joburg Super Kings, undefeated coming into the match, were restricted to 172/5 in 20 overs. Faf du Plessis (61 off 38) and Devon Conway (35 off 31) contributed a 97-run stand, but the Super Kings' middle-order failed to capitalize on the solid start. Jonny Bairstow's unbeaten 43 off 27 balls helped the Super Kings reach a respectable total.

In response, MI Cape Town had a slow start but quickly picked up the pace, led by Rickelton and Rassie van der Dussen (39 off 25). The duo put on 87 runs for the first wicket, and despite van der Dussen's run-out, MI Cape Town easily navigated the spin threat and secured victory.

Brief scores:

• Pretoria Capitals: 212/5 in 20 overs (Will Smeed 54, Kyle Verreynne 45; Mujeeb-ur-Rahman 2-28)

• Paarl Royals: 213-2 in 19.4 overs (Joe Root 92*, Rubin Hermann 56; Will Jacks 1-33)

• Joburg Super Kings: 172/5 in 20 overs (Faf du Plessis 61, Jonny Bairstow 43*; Reeza Hendricks 2-7)

• MI Cape Town: 173/3 in 15.5 overs (Ryan Rickelton 89, Rassie van der Dussen 39)