MI Cape Town must play Nicholas Pooran at No.3.
MI Cape Town (MICT) will face Joburg Super Kings (JSK) in the 15th match of SA20 2026 in Cape Town. MICT lost their previous game, while JSK’s last encounter was washed out due to rain.
MI Cape Town: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks, Nicholas Pooran, Jason Smith, Tom Moores, George Linde, Rashid Khan (c), Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult
Joburg Super Kings: Matthew De Villiers, Faf du Plessis (c), Rilee Rossouw, Wiaan Mulder, Shubham Ranjane, Donovan Ferreira, Dian Forrester, Prenelan Subrayen, Reece Topley, Akeal Hosein, Richard Gleeson
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The pitches in Cape Town have been mixed this season. While batters were effective in the initial two games, bowlers dominated the proceedings in the third contest. Expect a nice batting deck for this match because the home side won’t want the opponent bowlers to come into play.
Pacers have averaged better than spinners so far, but slow bowlers were mighty effective in the previous game. There will be new-ball movement, but spinners shouldn’t be as dominant as last time. The team winning the toss might elect to field first, with 170 being a fighting score.
MI Cape Town have used Reeza Hendricks at No.3 in three of the four games in SA20 2026. However, he has only scored 64 runs at an average of 21.33 and a strike rate of 110.34 in three innings, with a best of 28. He has been horribly out of form, and his best comes at the top, where MICT already have a settled pair: Ryan Rickelton and Rassie van der Dussen.
Hence, they should slot Nicholas Pooran at No.3 since he thrives in this position and fits nicely with the pitches in Cape Town. Since 2025, Pooran has 967 runs at an average of 40.29 and a strike rate of 155.71 in 30 T20 innings at No.3. Additionally, he has eight fifties and a century at this number.
While batting on other slots, Pooran has done reasonably well, but No.3 comes naturally to him. He can take on spinners from this slot, and JSK will have two quality spinners. Hendricks has an average of 22.80 and a strike rate of 112.87 against spinners since last year.
So, if he continues at No.3, JSK can employ Akeal Hosein and Prenelan Subrayen, and MICT’s innings will stagnate soon. Meanwhile, Pooran is a certified spin-hitter, striking at 149.79 and a balls-per-boundary ratio of 5.03 since 2025. In this period, the southpaw has struck at 273.01 and hit a boundary every 2.33 deliveries against left-arm orthodox.
Hence, he can negate the biggest threat of Akeal Hosein, who predominantly bowls in the powerplay and middle overs. Like in the last game, there will be some assistance for spinners, and Pooran can ensure the innings continue with momentum even after the powerplay. Hendricks should sit out since MI Cape Town already have a long batting unit, and they need to overcome their spin struggles.
As previously discussed, Luus should play since he gives MICT more flexibility and options to rotate the bowlers. Hendricks hasn’t been adding enough value as a batter, and with two quality spinners in the opposition, he is unlikely to succeed. Tristan Luus will at least bring some bowling value in the middle overs and assist someone like Rashid Khan.
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