Duan Jansen gives Joburg Super Kings a winning start

A four-wicket haul from Duan Jansen gave Joburg Super Kings a winning start to the SA20 2025-26 season. Despite posting only a par total of 168/6, JSK were able to defend it quite comfortably in the end to prevail by 22 runs and open the new campaign in positive fashion.

Batting first, they lost Matthew de Villiers and a struggling Faf du Plessis early in the innings to get reduced to 16/2. However, Rilee Rossouw and Wiaan Mulder fetched some vital boundaries to revive JSK before the end of the powerplay. Both batters then grew in confidence and took on the spin duo of Keshav Maharaj and Roston Chase to shift the momentum. In a space of seven deliveries at one point, the duo hammered three fours and two sixes that forced a bowling change at both ends.

Well set at 94/2 after 12 overs, JSK lost Rossouw against the run of play before Mulder departed in the following over after smashing back-to-back sixes. With Donovan Ferreira also departing soon, the innings had derailed big time before a timely cameo from Akeal Hosein that saw him plunder successive sixes in the penultimate over dragged JSK to a competitive total.

After making a watchful start, Capitals appeared to get a move on when Bryce Parsons cleared the ropes twice in the fourth over and followed it up with a boundary in the following over. Will Smeed rounded off a successful powerplay with a boundary and two sixes as Capitals knocked off 48 runs in six overs. The opening stand was worth 71 before Hosein finally gave his side an opening.

Jansen then made use of that opening as he first removed Shai Hope before getting rid of the well-set Parsons and new man Connor Esterhuizen in the space of four balls in one over. At the other end, Dewald Brevis failed to fire as well and that meant the Capitals went from 71/0 to 89/5 in quick time.

Only Chase and Maharaj touched double figures from thereon as the Capitals wilted. Jansen added one more wicket in his final over before Richard Gleeson closed out the game in favour of JSK.

Brief scores: Joburg Super Kings 168/6 in 20 overs (Rilee Rossouw 48, Wiaan Mulder 43; Tymal Mills 2/17) beat Pretoria Capitals 146/9 in 20 overs (Bryce Parsons 41; Duan Jansen 4/23) by 22 runs