David Miller to pull out of T20 World Cup 2026 due to massive personal setback

South Africa’s T20 World Cup 2026 plans have been dented by an injury concern after David Miller suffered a groin issue during Paarl Royals’ SA20 match against Joburg Super Kings. The left-handed batter, picked as a finisher for the T20 World Cup 2026, could be a doubtful starter for the tournament in February.

Paarl Royals suffered a 45-run defeat to Joburg Super Kings in the final league game at Boland Park in Paarl on Monday, January 19. The Royals failed to chase down the 167-run target in the clash. JSK secured fourth place and qualified for the playoffs. Notably, the two teams will now meet again in the Eliminator.

David Miller Groin Injury Raises Alarm for Paarl Royals and South Africa

David Miller suffered a groin injury while sliding to stop a ball during Joburg Super Kings’ innings. He did not come out to bat, which immediately raised concern within the Paarl Royals camp.

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The injury could rule Miller out of the SA20 playoffs. His absence would be a major blow, given 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 begins in three weeks in Ahmedabad. The national team is already likely to be without Donovan Ferreira, who is recovering from a fractured shoulder.

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David Miller Did Not Bat as Paarl Royals Suffered Defeat Against Joburg Super Kings

Joburg Super Kings chose 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, which included 5 fours and 3 sixes. The final two overs brought 34 runs and swung 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 finished the phase with another six.

Paarl Royals began their chase carefully, but with David Miller sidelined through injury, pressure increased as wickets fell regularly. Prenelan Subrayen and Imran Tahir controlled the middle overs, combining to take 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 Injury

David Miller said that he is still unsure about the extent of his injury and will only know more after assessing it the next day. He admitted that the situation was not ideal for him or the team.

"(On how's his injury?) I don't know. We'll see tomorrow when I pick up, but yeah, obviously not ideal," Miller said.

"(Was the score chaseable at half-time?) Definitely. You know, it always gets better here at night, but I think, you know, looking at the situation where we were, I thought they maybe scored 25 runs too many. But that's the way it goes and I still thought it was definitely gettable. As I said, it gets better at night, but lost a few wickets at the wrong times and obviously cost us."

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