The opening match of the new SA20 season takes place on Wednesday when the Sunrisers Eastern Cape begin their title defence with a clash against a hugely motivated to deliver Joburg Super Kings in Gqeberha.
The Super Kings won both regular meetings between these two last season but the Eastern Cape won the match which really mattered when they prevailed in the semi-final so Joburg will be out for a bit of revenge.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape
The Sunrisers Eastern Cape got better the longer the season went on last term but they will be hoping to come out of the blocks a little quicker this time around. It will be interesting to see how they fare with the changes they have made to the squad. At the time they assembled it filling up with English players felt like a good idea but England have flattered to deceive in white ball cricket since then. That does mean those players have a point to prove though which might be no bad thing.
The one thing you would say about the Eastern Cape is that they look tremendously well balanced. Sometimes you see squads and there is a discernible strength either with the bat or the ball but the Sunrisers look like they have spread their cash about in an even manner which is to their credit. Home matches are likely to be more crucial in this second season of the competition with teams now filling their squad with what works best in their conditions so this feels like a big match for the Sunrisers.
Joburg Super Kings
The Joburg Super Kings probably went into the finals last season with the best momentum but it came to a crashing halt in the semi-final and you sense that defeat hit home hard because they have added a lot more experience to their unit for this season and big match knowhow at that. If they hit the ground running this season then they could be a tough unit to crack, especially with half of the finals being on their home ground at the end of it.
The first thing that stands out when you assess the Super Kings’ squad is that they have a lot of top class bowling options. Matches in this competition tend to be high scoring so if they can just have a period where their international class with the ball comes to the fore then that could be the difference between a par chase and an above par one. The good thing is that even if they need to score big they have the batting firepower to do it.
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Key Players
Aiden Markram is the captain of the Sunrisers Eastern Cape but you sense he’ll have a lot more to do in terms of a playing role. We know he is in great touch with the bat from the century he made on that ordinary wicket in the Test match last week and his off spin could be required more this season too.
You sense if the Joburg Super Kings are going to win this match then David Wiese might well play a key role in it. He is very good throughout the innings with the ball and he is a very good finisher with the bat so his impact could be crucial.
Betting
I’ve a feeling that the Joburg Super Kings will be a good team this season. I really like the look of their bowling attack and anyone who has read my previews of T20 cricket in the past will know that I’m a huge advocate of the bowlers being the ones who win these matches, especially potentially even looking matches like this one. We saw the Eastern Cape stumble out of the starting gate last season and if they repeat that here they could well come up short.
I just have one or two more questions for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape to answer here. The first will be how they go without Roelof van der Merwe and the second would be what they offer with a much changed batting unit. I don’t have the same fears with the Super Kings. There is no doubt in my mind that they have strengthened from last season and when you consider that Joburg won both regular meetings between the two last season and it took a Markram century in the semi-final to deny them, I think the visitors are the ones to be on here.
Tips
Back Joburg Super Kings to beat Sunrisers Eastern Cape for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with William Hill
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