Despite the presence of high-profile international stars like Nicholas Pooran and Reeza Hendricks, MI Cape Town found it impossible to build meaningful partnerships. A strategic timeout taken in the ninth over with the score at 45/2 offered a brief moment for regrouping, but the resumption only brought more wickets. The Royals’ dried up the boundaries, forcing errors from the frustrated batters. By the 16th over, the score had limped to 81/5, with none of the top-order batters making more than 18 and the lower order too failed to provide any late-innings fireworks. The final collapse was swift, where Raza picked two more. MICT were bundled out for a paltry 88 runs in 18.4 overs.
