South Africa’s 2026 T20 World Cup plans have been dented by injury after David Miller suffered a groin injury during Paarl Royals’ SA20 match against Joburg Super Kings. The left-handed batsman, picked as the finisher for the 2026 T20 World Cup, could be a doubtful starter for the tournament in February.
Paarl Royals suffered a 45-point defeat to Joburg Super Kings in the final league match at Boland Park in Paarl on Monday, January 19. The Royals failed to chase down the 167-run target during the match. JSK secured fourth place and qualified for the play-offs. It is notable that the two teams will now meet again in the Eliminator.
David Miller’s groin injury raises alarms for Paarl Royals and South Africa
David Miller suffered a groin injury when he slipped to stop a ball during the Joburg Super Kings innings. He did not get to bat, which immediately raised concerns within the Paarl Royals camp.
The injury could rule Miller out of the SA20 play-offs. His absence would be a big blow considering his role as captain and finisher for the side.
The setback has also put South Africa on alert ahead of the T20 World Cup, which starts in Ahmedabad in three weeks. The national team will probably have to do without Donovan Ferreira, who is recovering from a broken shoulder.
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David Miller did not bat as Paarl Royals suffered defeat to Joburg Super Kings
Joburg Super Kings opted to bat on a slow pitch and posted 166 for 5. They struggled until Leus du Plooy turned the innings late with an unbeaten 54 off 27 balls, including 5 fours and 3 sixes. The last two overs yielded 34 runs and turned the momentum firmly in their favour.
Neil Timmers and Michael Pepper steadied the innings after James Vince fell for a duck. Timmers made 39 and Pepper added 27, but the scoring rate dipped through the middle overs. In the 19th over, du Plooy attacked Waqar Salamkheil before Dian Forrester closed the phase with another six.
Paarl Royals started their chase cautiously, but with David Miller sidelined through injury, the pressure mounted as wickets fell regularly. Prenelan Subrayen and Imran Tahir controlled the middle overs and between them took five wickets for just 31 runs.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius scored 32 at the top, while Dan Lawrence tried to keep the chase alive with 45 off 29 balls. However, Tahir struck at key moments and Subrayen maintained tight lines as the Royals lost seven wickets for 41 runs and were bowled out for 122.
I don’t know – David Miller on injuries
David Miller said he is still unsure of the extent of his injury and won’t know more until he assesses it the next day. He admitted that the situation was not ideal for him or the team.
“(What’s up with his injury?) I don’t know. We’ll see tomorrow when I record, but yes, of course not ideal,” said Molenaar.
“(Was the score replicable at half-time?) Absolutely. You know, it always gets better here at night, but I think, you know, looking at the situation we were in, I thought maybe they scored 25 runs too many. But that’s the way it goes and I still thought it was definitely doable. Like I said, it gets better at night, but lost a few wickets at the wrong times and obviously cost us.”
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