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SA 20: Unsold batter in IPL 2026 auction did madness by scoring superb century

Pritam Santra

West Indies star batsman Shai Hope, who remained unsold in the IPL 2026 auction, has responded strongly with his bat in South Africaโ€™s domestic T20 league, the SA20 League. Playing for Pretoria Capitals, Hope scored an explosive century against Durban Super Giants, creating a stir throughout the tournament.

Hopeโ€™s 100 and match brief

In the 16th match of the SA20 2025-26, played at Kingsmead in Durban, Shai Hope reached his century off 60 balls. Hope played an unbeaten inning of 118 runs. Thanks to this brilliant innings, Shai Hope created the record for the highest innings in SA20. Previously, this record was held by Kyle Verreynne. Verreynne had played a stormy inning of 116 runs against MI Cape Town in 2024, playing for Pretoria Capitals. Riding on Shai Hopeโ€™s explosive innings, Pretoria Capitals posted a solid 201 for 4 in 20 overs.

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Pretoriaโ€™s innings was opened by Shai Hope and Connor Esterhuizen. The duo added 101 runs for the first wicket in 11 overs to give the team a solid start. Esterhuizen was dismissed for 37 off 28 balls, but Hope continued his attack. Roston Chase then came to the crease and supported Hope well.

The two added a crucial 85-run partnership for the second wicket. Chase made 24, but Shai Hope stayed till the end. Hope made his 200th T20 match truly memorable. He smashed 118 not out in 69 balls, hitting 9 fours and 9 sixes. His strike rate was 171.04, which rendered the Durban bowlers helpless.

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This was Shai Hopeโ€™s fourth century in his T20 career. He also has 27 half-centuries to his name. He has scored 5350 runs in 195 innings at an average of 31.10. During this explosive innings, Shai Hope also completed his 400 fours in T20 cricket. He now has 402 sixes in his account. Apart from this, he now has 244 sixes to his name.

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