South African allrounder Delano Potgieter enjoyed a stunning start to the SA20 2025 for MI Cape Town (MICT) against defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) on Thursday. The 28-year-old claimed career-best figures of 5-10 and had a special outing with the bat which belonged to Virat Kohli smashing an unbeaten 25 off 12 balls in a thumping 97-run win.
Batting first in the opening game of the new season at Gqeberha, MICT put up 174/7 in 20 overs after Dewald Brevis scored a fine 57 off 29 balls and multiple batters contributing with 20+ scores.
Mumbai Indians Cape Town star Delano Potgieter sports Virat Kohli’s bat
Among them was Potgieter who was given the special bat which was given to him by his MICT captain Rashid Khan who was gifted the willow by Kohli himself. The allrounder hit two boundaries and a six in his cameo at the end of the innings.
Also Read: Discarded Mumbai Indians Player Reignites Reputation Ahead of IPL 2025
When asked if the bat belonged to a “certain player” in the post-match press conference, Potgieter said he was unsure of who it belonged to.
“I’m not sure who the bat belonged to, but I’d be happy to know if it belongs to them.”
SA20 2025 begins with a one-sided game
Chasing the total didn’t seem tough for the holders, but New Zealand pacer Trent Boult bowled a sensational double-wicket maiden in the third over as he dismissed opener Zak Crawley and Tom Abell. It set the tone for the rest of the innings as Potgieter ran through the line-up which began with sending back SEC skipper Aiden Markram on 19.
The pacer was easily the pick of the MICT bowlers with Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai and South Africa’s George Linde getting a wicket each. Rashid was wicketless from his three overs, but managed to account for the run-out of Marco Jansen.
SEC were bundled out for just 77 runs within 15 overs as they began their title defence on a sour note.
They will look to bounce back when they face Paarl Royals in their second match at Paarl on Saturday. MICT will look to carry their confidence from the opening day when they play against Joburg Super Kings in Johannesburg on Saturday.