Miller Masterclass Guides Paarl Royals to Narrow Win Over Sunrisers Eastern Cape

Paarl Royals defeated Sunrisers Eastern Cape by 5 wickets, courtesy of some great batting by David Miller. His hitting allowed Royals to chase a tricky target of 150 in the last over, handing Sunrisers their first loss in the SA20 2026 season. He was well supported by Keagan Lion-Cachet at the other end, who also played a steady knock while chasing the target.

Sunrisers Eastern Cape struggled in both innings, as their star players looked out of touch against Royals bowlers. They would definitely be disappointed after this loss, because Royals didn’t have big names in their lineup.

Batting first, Sunrisers Eastern Cape started decently despite losing Quinton de Kock in the Powerplay. Their English opener, Jonny Bairstow, played confidently to take down the Royals bowlers. He looked good in today’s match; however, a fine delivery by Ottneil Baartman dismissed him in the last over of the Powerplay. He got out after scoring quick 33 runs, hitting 4 fours and 2 sixes.

After his dismissal, the middle-order batter Jordan Hermann played sensibly to take the innings forward. The other batters kept losing their wickets at regular intervals, so he played cautiously to take the innings deep.

The captain of Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Tristan Stubbs, also failed to perform well in the first innings. He was unable to lift the scoring rate, as the Royals bowlers kept him under control during his stay at the crease. He eventually lost his wicket in the 15th over after scoring just 17 runs.

Meanwhile, Jordan Hermann kept batting firmly at one end to take the scoreboard to a respectable total. He looked well set to score a fifty; however, Mujeeb Ur Rahman dismissed him in the 18th over with a quality delivery. Hermann returned to the pavilion after scoring 47 runs, which included four fours and a six.

Some late hitting by Marco Jansen then gave the Sunrisers innings a strong impetus towards the end. He smashed 17 runs quickly by hitting one boundary and a six. As a result, Sunrisers Eastern Cape managed to score 149 by the end of the first innings.

Early Setbacks in the Chase of 150 Runs

When Paarl Royals came out to chase the target, they endured a horrible start. Their top order returned to the pavilion early without making any notable contribution to the scoreboard. They lost 4 quick wickets in the first seven overs, courtesy of excellent bowling by Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortje.

With these early blows, the Royals’ dugout once again became nervous; however, their superstar captain played a knock that brought calmness to the innings. David Miller utilized all his experience to chase a tricky total sensibly. He came to the crease at a time when almost half of the Royals’ batting lineup had been cleaned up by the Sunrisers bowlers. Therefore, he took his time to settle at the crease, making sure not to lose more wickets during the middle overs.

Miller built a strong partnership with the youngster Keagan Lion-Cachet, who also played a cautious knock to take the chase deep. After solidifying his position at the crease, Miller then launched big sixes at the end to seal the chase for Paarl Royals. He scored an unbeaten 71 runs off 38 balls in the second innings, giving the Royals a well-fought victory over a star-studded Sunrisers team.