PR vs MICT Dream11 Prediction: 3 differentials you could pick in today’s SA20 match – January 15, 2025

The Paarl Royals (PR) take on MI Cape Town (MICT) in the 9th match of the third edition of the SA20 on Wednesday, January 15, at Boland Park in Paarl.

The Royals suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of MICT in the reverse fixture on Monday, as their chase of 173 fell off the rails quickly after the powerplay. It took some valuable rearguard action from Mujeeb ur Rahman and Kwena Maphaka to bolster their NRR and prevent MICT from getting a bonus point.

MI Cape Town, meanwhile, look a formidable unit this time around, and will look to stamp their authority on the tournament with a third win in four matches.

Let's now look at three Dream11 differentials who could star for their backers in this fixture.

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#3 Mitchell Van Buuren (BAT) (PR)

Paarl Royals' talented middle-order batter Mitchell Van Buuren could be a powerful Dream11 differential, albeit a risky one. The 26-year-old is an experienced cricketer in the Proteas domestic circuit with a terrific List A record and a pretty decent one in T20s.

His SA20 2024 was a solid one, where he scored 221 runs in 11 matches at a decent average of 31.57, primarily batting in the middle order. This season, however, he seems to have secured a promotion up the batting order now as he batted at No. 4 in the reverse fixture against MI Cape Town.

While a risky option against MICT's strong bowling lineup, Van Buuren definitely has the quality and batting position to become a handy Dream11 differential.

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#2 Azmatullah Omarzai (ALL) (MICT)

Azmatullah Omarzai has quickly become a household name in T20 leagues across the world. The Afghanistan all-rounder's skill-set makes him a valuable asset with the ball and more than handy with the bat.

However, with the all-round performances of Delano Potgieter and George Linde taking centre stage, Dream11 players seem to have overlooked Omarzai as an option, creating an opportunity for his remaining backers to bag a sizeable differential haul.

Omarzai can be a handful to deal with when he bowls with the new ball, and as it happened against Paarl in the reverse fixture, he was also backed to bowl at the death, increasing his wicket-taking chances. He's also an accomplished batter, and while he doesn't get enough chances to showcase his quality with the bat, a meaningful contribution isn't far away.

A player who can score points through various avenues, Azmatullah Omarzai is a smart Dream11 differential.

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#1 Ryan Rickelton (WK) (MICT)

Ryan Rickelton scored 259 in the recently concluded 2nd Test against Pakistan.

The highest run-scorer of SA20 2024, Ryan Rickelton's return to the MICT side was a rather muted one, as he fell early in the powerplay, hitting one straight to the mid-off fielder. While he did score a few useful points courtesy of dismissals as a wicket-keeper, his off-day, coupled with a strong start to his SA20 career from Lhuan-dre Pretorius sees Rickelton emerge as a potential Dream11 differential.

However, Rickelton was in good form prior to the tournament, smashing a double hundred against Pakistan in the second Test. The attacking opener could record a solid Dream11 haul even if he faces 12-15 balls at the top of the order, in addition to what he can do as a wicket-keeper. He's a powerful Dream11 differential in this fixture.