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The seventh match of SA20 2024 pits table-toppers Durban's Super Giants (DSG) up against Joburg Super Kings (JSK) at the Kingsmead Stadium in Durban on Monday, January 15.
The Super Giants have been on a roll, flexing their batting might en route to two wins on the bounce to kickstart their campaign.
The Super Kings, on the other hand, were handed a 98-run thrashing by MI Cape Town with their only two points so far coming on the back of a washout against SunRisers Eastern Cape. They are currently placed fifth on the points table with their net run rate having taken a proper beating.
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Another win for DSG will see them consolidate their position at the top of the table and create a sizeable gap between themselves and the rest of the teams. JSK are seeking their maiden win this season and will not want to taste defeat again lest things start to get desperate thereafter.
Ahead of this mouth-watering SA20 contest, we pick a combined playing 11 comprising players from the two sides:
Openers: Faf du Plessis (c) and Quinton de Kock (wk)
The experienced combination of Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock headline the opening partnership of this playing XI. JSK skipper du Plessis carried the side's batting lineup in last year's SA20 and on the back of a splendid 2023 with the bat, will look to replicate those performances this season.
Quinton de Kock has retired from the two longer formats but remains a destructive match-winner and a top-class wicketkeeper. He will look to get DSG off to explosive starts and register a big score having failed to do so in the first two games.
Du Plessis will assume the role of captain for this combined playing XI.
Middle order: Leus du Plooy, Nicholas Pooran, and Heinrich Klaasen
Leus du Plooy emerged as a massive positive for JSK in SA20 2023, having formed the rock of the middle order with 249 runs at an average of 62.25 and a strike rate of 137.56. He was the lone bright spark for the Super Kings in their game against MI Cape Town too a couple of days ago with a 24-ball 48 while he boasts a near-complete game against pace and spin.
If you're looking for two destructive spin-hitters for the middle overs, it's hard to get a combination better than Nicholas Pooran and Heinrich Klaasen. DSG have certainly struck gold on that front with the duo right up there amongst the best in the business and certain to give nightmares to the slower bowlers.
The two players in question have already hit peak form in this season's SA20. While Pooran comes into this contest on the back of an unbeaten 60 off 31 balls against the SunRisers, Klaasen blitzed a 35-ball 85 studded with eight sixes to stun Cape Town in DSG's campaign opener.
All-rounders: Moeen Ali and Dwaine Pretorius
Moeen Ali bowled decently on his JSK debut before going for plenty in his final over. He also began positively with the bat but couldn't score big although the all-rounder must step up and make an impact if the Super Kings are to get on the board.
Dwaine Pretorius has bagged three wickets across four overs so far in SA20 2024. His cutters and variations in pace make him a real handy operator especially if the track at Kingsmead plays on the slower side, while he can hit the ball as long as anyone in the competition.
Bowlers: Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Reece Topley, and Imran Tahir
Keshav Maharaj is easily the best finger-spinner in South Africa at the moment. On the back of a solid display at the World Cup, he ought to come into his own once the pitches at the SA20 2024 slow up. DSG's skipper could well have a massive say against du Plessis and Reeza Hendricks, both of whom have been tied down by left-arm spin in the past.
Imran Tahir broke a 200-run opening partnership in what was incidentally his first game as well in the SA20. JSK's trump card through the middle-overs, the leg-spinner will want to put in a better performance and use all his experience of 392 T20s to make an impact.
Left-arm quicks Nandre Burger and Reece Topley round off this playing XI. While Burger can bowl rapidly and blow teams out with his pace, Topley swings the new ball while using his height to extract steep bounce.
Both seamers have had an ordinary start to their SA20 campaign but if they come into their own, they can win games on their own and break them open at will. Burger will have to lead the JSK attack should Gerald Coetzee not pass fit just yet, even as Topley looks to build a stronger case for the T20 World Cup with a good showing for DSG.
Combined DSG and JSK playing 11 for SA20 2024: Faf du Plessis (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Leus du Plooy, Nicholas Pooran, Heinrich Klaasen, Moeen Ali, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Reece Topley and Imran Tahir.
Who would you back to win tonight's SA20 clash between DSG and JSK? Have your say in the comments section below!
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