Super Giants secure playoff spot after crushing win over Royals

The win lifts the Super Giants to 28 points from their eight games, with six wins and a net run rate of 1.757. Paarl had won five of the six matches before suffering back-to-back defeats at the hands of the Super Giants, with 22 points from their eight matches, just three points short of guaranteeing their playoff place.

The top four teams will go through to the playoffs, which run from 6 February to the final on 10 February. Any one of the bottom three teams could clinch fourth place, but the most points fifth-placed MI Cape Town could reach is 24. 

MI Cape Town are currently sitting on nine points after seven matches, so even three wins with a bonus point in each match would not be enough for them to pass the Super Giants’ current points tally. 

Proteas star batter/keeper Quinton de Kock hit form again on Friday with a masterful 83* against the Royals, while Heinrich Klaasen went on a six-hitting spree on Friday and Sunday in blasting 30* (three sixes) and 50 (six sixes), two innings which played a major role in both wins. 

“We saw the class of Quinny and I’m so happy for him that he’s back in his rhythms,” said Super Giant skipper Keshav Maharaj after the win on Friday. “He showed the positive intent of an ‘in’ batter at the end and helped us and then Klaasie was exceptional at the end. I’m very proud of the boys.”

Despite having secured their playoff spot, Maharaj is not letting his team relax with two matches left for them in the group stage.

“It’s not about taking our foot off the gas and getting complacent. It’s about making sure we are still playing to our rhythms and executing our skills. If you asked us before the Cape trip what we thought of two bonus points then we would have taken it happily,” said Maharaj.

Having enjoyed such dominance through the season, the Super Giants want to give themselves the best chance of finishing on top of the table to enjoy the best possible passage through to the final.

“It’s always nice to qualify but if you give yourself an extra bite of the cherry then it makes life a little bit less tense. We’re taking nothing for granted because we still want to go as high as we can in this competition and put ourselves in a position to finish in the top two,” added Maharaj.