SA20: MI Cape Town to face Durban's Super Giants in opener on Dec 26; final on Jan 25

Johannesburg, July 9 (IANS) Defending champions MI Cape Town get their title defence underway with a clash against Durban’s Super Giants on December 26 at the picturesque Newlands, as SA20 announced its fixtures for Season 4 on Wednesday.

The final of the competition will take place on January 25, 2026 with Qualifier 1 scheduled for January 21, the Eliminator on January 22 and Qualifier 2 on January 23. Venues for the final and the playoffs will be confirmed on a later date.

"We have carefully planned the fixtures to make the most of the festive season and school holidays. We want SA20 to be a part of the holiday season festivities in our once-off window for this year. We're also excited to host New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day fixtures for the first time. We can’t wait to be a part of the New Year’s celebrations with the fans,” league commissioner Graeme Smith said.

South Africa’s premier franchise T20 league will usher in the holiday season with a bumper Boxing Day opener. December 27 marks the first double-header of Season 4, with Centurion hosting a special derby between Pretoria Capitals and Joburg Super Kings while Paarl Royals and Sunrisers Eastern Cape clash at Boland Park in Paarl.

Kingsmead, home of Durban’s Super Giants, will be a hive of activity in the week leading up to the New Year, with the east coast venue welcoming both MI Cape Town (December 28) and Joburg Super Kings (30 December) within the space of a couple of days.

Fans will have the opportunity to toast the New Year in style with another cracking double-header set for Gqeberha and Cape Town on December 31, 2025. Two-time champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape will welcome the Paarl Royals at an always-jovial St. George’s Park, with the excitement building up for MI Cape Town and Pretoria Capitals at Newlands later in the day (2100 hrs IST).

The festivities will continue on New Year’s Day when Joburg Super Kings and Durban’s Super Giants look to start 2026 on a high note at the Wanderers.

Elaborating on the reception SA20 has received in India, Smith explained, “It’s been phenomenal to witness how SA20 has struck a chord with fans in a vibrant cricket market like India. What’s truly heart-warming is seeing Indian fans follow emerging SA20 talents like Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Wiaan Mulder, and many others who’ve honed their skills in the competition. India remains a key market for SA20, and we’d love to see more fans travel to South Africa for the matches. They certainly won’t be disappointed.”

The action continues on January 2, 2026, which will be celebrated in style at Boland Park with a mouth-watering Cape derby between Paarl Royals and neighbours MI Cape Town.

Paarl Royals will be looking to continue their impressive record at home, after winning all five of their home matches last season. Incredibly, MI Cape Town achieved the same feat at Newlands in the same season.

The SA20 carnival moves up north to the Highveld for a “Super Saturday” double bout on January 3 when Joburg Super Kings and Sunrisers Eastern Cape trade punches at the Wanderers before Pretoria Capitals and Durban’s Super Giants go head-to-head at Centurion.

--IANS

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