Last Updated on 4 months ago by Charbel Coorey

MI Cape Town (MICT) will be against the Paarl Royals (PR) in the 13th match of SA20 2025-26

MI Cape Town lost their last match against the Paarl Royals by one run. They are at the bottom of the table with three defeats and a rained-out game after four matches and will be itching to register their first win of the season.

Their batters have been in good form, but the bowlers need to perform as a group if they are to win this game. Ryan Rickelton is currently the highest run-scorer of this season with 182 runs in three innings at an average of 60.67 and a strike rate of 182, including a century.

Rassie van der Dussen also scored a fifty in the last game. The likes of Nicholas Pooran and the whole middle order need to chip in with consistent performances. Rashid Khan picked up 2 wickets in the last game, but overall, their bowling has been average.

Paarl Royals, on the other hand, are third in the table with two wins in three games. Lhuan-Dre Pretorius scored 98 in the last game against MI, while Asa Tribe also scored 51 runs. David Miller has been in good touch as well, but the other batters from Paarl also need to step up. 

The spinners haven’t been very effective for the Royals, and they also need to pull up their socks. Ottneil Baartman picked up four wickets, while Sikandar Raza picked up three in the last match. The Royals too need contributions from the other players to move forward in the tournament.

This match will be played at Newlands, Cape Town, on 4th January 2026, at 7:00 PM IST.

SA20 2025-26 13th Match: MICT vs PR Probable Playing XIs

MI Cape Town: 1. Rassie van der Dussen, 2. Ryan Rickelton, 3. Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4. Jason Smith, 5. Jacques Snyman, 6. Tom Moores, 7. George Linde, 8.  Rashid Khan (c), 9. Kagiso Rabada, 10. Trent Boult, 11. Dane Piedt/Tristan Luus

Paarl Royals: 1. Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, 2. Asa Tribe, 3. Rubin Hermann, 4.  David Miller (c), 5. Sikandar Raza, 6. Kyle Verreynne (wk), 7. Delano Potgieter, 8. Mujeeb ur Rahman, 9. Bjorn Fortuin, 10. Ottniel Baartman, 11. Nqobani Mokoena

Newlands Cape Town Pitch Report and Weather

A good batting track will await both sides for this game. The ball will come onto the bat nicely, allowing the batters to play their shots. Both games played at Cape Town this season so far have seen scores of 220+ in the first innings. 

The new ball may move a bit for the pacers, and the spinners will also get some aid, but overall, the batters are expected to dominate. Scores in the range of 180-200 are expected in this game with teams preferring to chase.

It will be partly cloudy in Cape Town with no chance of rain. The temperature will hover around 19-21 degrees Celsius during the game.

Fantasy Cricket Tips for MICT vs PR: Players to Watch/Key Stats

Top Wicket-Keeper Picks:  

• Nicholas Pooran hasn’t been at his best till now, but a big knock is around the corner for him, and this might be the game where he goes big. He’s expected to bat at 3 and will be a must in your fantasy teams.
• Ryan Rickelton has been the best batter for MI, and he’s someone you don’t want to miss in your fantasy teams, as he has this habit of scoring big when he gets off to a start. 

Key batter picks: 

• Rassie van der Dussen looked in good touch for his 59 runs in the last game. He will be a key batter for MI with the others playing around him. Rassie will be worth considering in your fantasy teams, especially looking at MI’s middle order.
• Lhuan-Dre Pretorius showed why he’s rated so highly in the last game. He scored 98* runs and helped his side to a winning total. He looks to attack from the word go and can take down any bowling on his day. Pretorius will be a top C/VC option as well.
• David Miller will bat at number 4 with Sikandar Raza back in the side. Miller scored 71* off just 38 in the second-to-last game against the Sunrisers. He’s one of the most destructive batters when on song and a top fantasy pick.

Top all-rounder picks:

• George Linde will bowl his full quota and can hit a long ball. He will be a must in your fantasy teams considering his multi-skill set. You can try him as C/VC as well.
• Sikandar Raza failed with the bat in the last game, but he picked up 3 wickets and contributed from fielding as well. He’s a key player for Paarl with both bat and ball. Worth trying as C/VC.

Key bowler picks: 

• Rashid Khan picked up 2 wickets and scored a quickfire 38 to nearly take his side over the line. He’ll look to lead from the front in this game and can repeat a similar performance from the last game. Make him captain in one of your teams. 
• Ottniel Baartman picked up 4 wickets in the last match. He will bowl the key overs for Paarl and has this knack of picking up wickets in clusters on his day. A top pick, especially while bowling first.

Other Players to Consider for Your Fantasy Cricket Team 

• Kagiso Rabada
• Trent Boult
• Bjorn Forutin

SA20 2025/26 13th Match: MICT vs PR Dream11 Prediction 

Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article, as well as your own instincts, to create your teams. 

Option 1:

Option 2:

SA20 2025-26 13th Match: MICT vs PR Match Prediction: Who will win?

Both teams are struggling to perform as a unit and are dependent on a handful of in-form players to do the bulk of the work. But at the moment, the Paarl Royals look in good form and much more settled with Sikandar Raza coming back in the middle order.   

MI Cape Town looks very strong on paper, but apart from the openers and Nicholas Pooran, the middle order is struggling very badly. The bowlers too have been off color. 

Paarl Royals to win this game.

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All statistics and matchups in this article have been verified by ESPNcricinfo, Bigbashboard and Cricmetric.