Johannesburg – 24 February 2026:
Our brilliant DP World Lions ladies bowling attack was once again the most slippery of banana peels for the opposition as they bundled the Western Province team out for just 105 to win their T20 match at Newlands with a bonus point and knock the previously unbeaten defending champions off their perch at the top of the standings.
The five log points garnered by #ThePrideOfJozi took them to 32 points, one point ahead of Western Province and 14 points ahead of the third-placed Dolphins. Our DP World Lions host the Titans and the North-West Dragons, placed fourth and fifth respectively, in their last two matches, and will be going all out to secure a home final on March 13. Western Province finish the round-robin stage by hosting North-West and visiting the Dolphins.
Having posted a reasonable 142 for six in their 20 overs after being sent in to bat, the DP World Lions then bowled superbly to claim all 10 Western Province wickets with two balls remaining. Left-armer Relebohile Mkhize produced a magnificent spell with the new ball, starting with a superb double-wicket maiden as she trapped Oluhle Siyo lbw and then bowled Delmi Tucker with successive inswinging deliveries from over the wicket. Mkhize has enjoyed success against Western Province before and she claimed her third wicket when she dismissed new Protea Kayla Reyneke, before bowling out her four-over quota and finishing with outstanding figures of 4-1-15-3.
Spinners Sarah Nettleton and Raisibe Ntozakhe, and seamer Refilwe Moncho each took a wicket in the middle overs and, coupled with a brilliant run out by Mkhize, it meant Western Province were in dire straits on 67 for seven in the 14th over. Spinner Kgomotso Rapoo then claimed three for 15 to ensure the bonus point win.
On the batting side, veteran Sunette Viljoen-Louw must be the absolute apple of coach Sandile Masengemi’s eye as she once again held the DP World Lions batting together. Coming in to bat in just the third over, with two wickets already down, Viljoen-Louw scored an impressive 57 not out off 49 balls. Using her experience to play smartly and her power to punish any wayward bowling, Viljoen-Louw struck seven fours and two sixes to become the first DP World Lions batter to pass 200 runs in the T20 competition this season.
Opener Madison Landsman managed the Western Province new-ball attack with ease as she scored 33 off 30 balls, sharing the most meaningful partnership of the innings – 59 for the third wicket – with Viljoen-Louw. Ntozakhe showed how adaptable she is with the bat, coming in at number five and scoring a run-a-ball 17 and adding 37 runs for the fourth wicket with Viljoen-Louw.
The 50-over match between the two great rivals was tightly-contested on the previous day.
Viljoen-Louw once again batted deep with 40 off 50 balls to take our DP World Lions to 181 for seven in their 50 overs. They made life hard for themselves with two of the top three batters being run out, but Nonkululeko Thabethe showed her commitment to the team with a determined innings of 61 that held the top-order together. Jenna Evans also fought hard for her 36.
Western Province scraped home with two wickets and two balls to spare, as captain Leah Jones’ 57 not out off 93 balls mirrors Viljoen- Louw’s effort in the T20 match. Mkhize (8-1-27-1) and Ayabonga Khaka (10-1-25-0) were very good up front, allowing spinner Sarah Nettleton to dominate the middle overs with three for 28 in eight overs. Fellow spinner Ntozakhe was also outstanding with figures of 10-2-22-2.
The defeat means our DP World Lions are now second on the 50-over log, four points behind the Dolphins, and they do have a three-point lead over both Western Province and the Titans.