Combined MI Cape Town and Paarl Royals playing 11 for SA20 2024 ft. Ryan Rickelton, Jos Buttler

MI Cape Town and Paarl Royals are set to lock horns in the 11th Match of the SA20 2024 league at the Newlands, Cape Town on Friday, January 19. The two teams have had contrasting starts to their campaign.

Paarl Royals have been simply incredible in the league so far, winning all three of their games, and are on top with 13 points. MI Cape Town, on the other hand, are fourth with five points and have lost two out of their three games so far.

With some star names and in-form players on both sides, it promises to be another cracking encounter in SA20 2024. On that note, let's take a look at what the strongest possible XI of MI Cape Town and Paarl Royals would look like:

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Top Order: Ryan Rickelton, Jos Buttler & Rassie van der Dussen

Ryan Rickelton has arguably been a revelation in the SA20 2024 so far as he is the highest run-scorer in the tournament with 243 runs from three games. His uncanny resemblance in batting style to that of Quinton de Kock has caught the eye of the cricketing fraternity.

Jos Buttler being among the best T20 batters in the world makes it an incredible opening partnership. Rassie van der Dussen is just behind Rickelton in the SA20 2024 highest run-scoring charts with 169 runs from three games.

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Middle-order: Kieron Pollard (c), David Miller, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran

The experience of Kieron Pollard and David Miller in the middle order gives the XI real solidity. Pollard's handy cameo of 31 against Durban Super Giants and David Miller's sizzling 75* against Pretoria Capitals showed they can never be written off.

Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran add balance to the side with their all-round ability. Curran almost won MI Cape Town the game against The Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the previous outing with an impressive cameo of 37(22), falling short by just four runs.

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Bowlers: George Linde, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi

Lungi Ngidi is the highest wicket-taker in the SA20 2024 so far with eight scalps from three games. He continues to prove he has the variations needed to be effective in all phases of the game. Kagiso Rabada's quality makes him another straightforward pick in the XI.

George Linde and Tabraiz Shamsi can complement each other well as a spin pair. Linde was impressive against the Joburg Super Kings, showing what he can do when there's just enough grip in the pitch. While inconsistency is an issue with Shamsi, he can win games on his own on the days he gets it right.