Joburg Super Kings will have to finish the SA20 without their captain, Faf du Plessis, after scans confirmed a torn ligament in his right thumb. The opener needs surgery and is out for the rest of the 2026 tournament.
The injury came on Saturday against MI Cape Town. Du Plessis dived in the covers, his thumb caught in the turf, and he left the field immediately. When JSK began chasing a hefty 235, he never emerged from the dressing-room. Half-centuries from James Vince and youngster Dian Forrester kept them interested, but they still fell short.
Head coach Stephen Fleming explained the captain’s absence afterwards. “He got his thump jammed in the ground which has done some damage,” Fleming said. “Obviously enough damage not to bat which was [not good], when you are chasing 200 you need your star players to be out there. So, to lose him is another factor but we’ll take into consideration what happens going forward, we are hoping it’s bruising and settles down but I don’t think I feel overly optimistic with the amount of injuries we’ve had so far. A bit of a pessimistic view on these things, so I’m hoping for the best but we may have to prepare for other means.”
Before the setback, du Plessis had scored 135 runs in five knocks at a brisk strike-rate of 151.68. Those are tidy numbers, yet JSK have struggled for rhythm; three wins in seven leave them third on 17 points, trailing Pretoria Capitals and Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
This is their second major loss inside a week. Rilee Rossouw’s hamstring complaint has already removed a power-hitting option from the middle order. Fleming admitted the coaching group are “busy on the phones” looking for cover, with an official replacement for du Plessis expected shortly.
For all the disruption, the side insists the campaign is not derailed. Vince noted post-match that “the group still backs its depth”, pointing to experienced hands such as Moeen Ali and Wayne Parnell. Even so, losing two senior internationals in quick succession means JSK will need that depth immediately—starting with Wednesday’s fixture at Kingsmead.
No-one is writing them off, but the road to the play-offs just got bumpier.
