Following what was a disappointing T20 Challenge season opener, both Lions and Dolphins will be looking to bounce back and return to winning ways when they take to the crease at the Wanderers Stadium this afternoon.
The Lions succumbed to a shocking 117 runs defeat to the Titans, while their opponents for today lost by six wickets against the Warriors last weekend.
Stakes will be high in this encounter as it will not only be about redemptions and collecting points to climb up the table, but also about bragging rights.
The Dolphins will be looking to come out top against the Lions, who broke their hearts and beat them in last season’s T20 Challenge final.
Ahead of the two games, Lions captain Mitchell van Buuren said he is expecting a much better performance from his side than they put up against the
Titans in their season opener last weekend.
“We didn’t really want to be playing catch-up cricket, but it was a slow start. We are always looking to learn though and we had some younger talent playing.
“There are always high expectations playing for the Lions and we now need to really hit the ground running this weekend,” Van Buuren said.
“It was a not so great start, but now we are looking to go back-to-back this weekend. We’ll be bringing much of the same approach as last season; we’re looking to play on the front foot.
“We have super-high standards at Lions, and we’ll be looking to uphold those this weekend.”
Even amidst Lions’ defeat to the Titans last week Friday, there were some positives that the defending champions will look to build throughout the tournament.
Left-arm paceman Kwena Maphaka continued to show what an incredible talent he is, with his figures of two for 31 runs in four overs being exceptional in a total of 258/6 recorded by the Titans.
The Lions hosted the Warriors at the Wanderers Stadium on Friday night before today’s blockbuster.
