SA20 2025-26: Faf du Plessis ruled out of rest of the tournament with thumb injury

Joburg Super Kings skipper Faf du Plessis has been ruled out for the remainder of the SA20 2025-26 after picking a right thumb ligament tear. The injury will require surgery, ruling out any chance of his return.

JSK have named Leus du Plooy as the replacement, while Donovan Ferreira will lead the team in the absence of du Plessis, who is the second prominent injury setback for JSK following Rilee Rossouw’s exit with a hamstring issue.

The 41-year-old sustained the injury in the first innings of JSK’s clash against MI Cape Town on January 10. He did not come out to bat, with JSK losing the high-scoring affair by 36 runs. 

After the conclusion of the match, JSK head coach Stephen Fleming stated that du Plessis' thumb was in an extremely bad state and that he could not even grip the bat.

"He got his thumb jammed in the ground, which has done some damage," Fleming. "Obviously enough damage not to bat, which was [not good], when you are chasing 200, you need your star players to be out there.

"So, to lose him is another factor, but we'll take into consideration what happens going forward. We are hoping it's bruising and settles down, but I don't think I feel overly optimistic with the amount of injuries we've had so far.

"A bit of a pessimistic view on these things, so I'm hoping for the best, but we may have to prepare for other means."

Du Plessis amassed 135 runs at an impressive strike rate of 151.68 in five innings this season. Meanwhile, JSK are currently third on the points table with three wins and two losses from seven matches. Their remaining three fixtures are: Sunrisers Eastern Cape on January 14 in Gqeberha, Pretoria Capitals on January 17 in Johannesburg, and Paarl Royals on January 19 in Paarl.