Sunrisers Eastern Cape Crush Paarl Royals by 7 Wickets to Enter SA20 2026 Final

Sunrisers Eastern Cape thrashed Paarl Royals convincingly in the Qualifier 2 of SA20 2026. By registering a commanding victory, they have now qualified for the tournament final, where they will meet Pretoria Capitals for one last showdown. James Coles remained the most notable player of the match, as his allround performance helped Sunrisers to clinch a 7-wicket victory over Paarl Royals.

The batting lineup of Royals showcased a disappointing performance in today’s match, as they were bowled out for just 114 runs in the first innings. Apart from Kyle Verreynne, the top order of Royals failed miserably in the match without providing any notable contribution.

The middle order of Royals also succumbed to the pressure, and went back to the pavilion cheaply. While Kyle Verreynne stood firm at one end, the other batters kept losing their wickets one after another. Due to this, Paarl Royals never got the momentum and their scoring rate remained lower. Kyle Verreynne smashed a fighting fifty in the end, but it only allowed Royals to finish the innings at 114 runs.

When Sunrisers came out to bat, they started the chase with a calculated aggression. This was a smart approach, which allowed them to stay in the game even after losing three early wickets. As the target was quite low, there was no pressure on the middle order whatsoever.

After absorbing the early blows, Matthew Breetzke and James Coles started to play positively to chase down the target. The youngster James Coles came up with a breathtaking batting display that completely took the game away from Paarl Royals. He struck 45 off just 19 balls, giving Sunrisers Eastern Cape a commanding victory in just 11.4 overs. They will now face Pretoria Capitals in the SA20 2026 Final, which will be played on January 25 at Cape Town.