An imperious 92 from Faf du Plessis at the top drove the Johannesburg Super Kings to their fifth win of the tournament.

It was a familiar beginning, as both he and Reeza Hendricks confidently began the innings. They added 119 runs between them, and it wasn’t until the 15th over when the Sunrisers EC finally got a wicket.

Hendricks had made a solid 40, but this was the breakthrough that opened the floodgates for the visitors. Aiden Markram struck twice in the very next over, and the middle order free fall continued, as Marco Jansen and Sisanda Magala each got a wicket. A century was in sight for the skipper, but a tired shot at the end of the 19th over brought an end to an outstanding innings.

JSK were able to add only 36 runs in the final 5 overs, and lost 5 wickets in the same stretch of play.

The Sunrisers were rocked early, when Maheesh Theekshana dismissed the dangerous Adam Rossington in the second over. And in the 5th over, Gerald Coetzee claimed another two wickets. It was down to Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram to begin the rescue act, and Bavuma was looking very much in control.

The Proteas limited-overs captain brought up a half-century in his second game of the tournament, but a ball from Kyle Simmonds that kept low brought an end to his sparkling knock.

Simmonds rounded off his spell in the 15th over with a bang – he took two in two, dismissing the big-hitting Tristan Stubbs and Marco Jansen. Romario Shepherd completed the team hat trick when Markram was dismissed in the first ball of the 16th over.

By then, it was all but out of reach for the Sunrisers. The tail was exposed, and they ended up short by 24 runs. This has been a priceless win for JSK, as they have now solidified their top-4 berth.

JSK 160/6 in 20 overs (du Plessis 92 – Magala 4-0-24-2, Markram 1-0-7-2)

SEC 136/9 in 20 overs (Bavuma 50 – Simmonds 4-0-23-3)