Friday’s match marks Match 33 of the 2026 SA20 competition. Match 33 is the second qualifier, with the winner of Sunrisers Eastern Cape vs. Paarl Royals advancing to the final on Saturday, January 25.
This playoff format means the winner of this game already knows who they will face in the final. The Pretoria Capitals beat SEC on Wednesday to book their place at Newlands, and they will wait to see whether it is a rematch with Sunrisers or a clash with Paarl that decides the destination of the 2026 trophy.
Here is a look ahead at the contest.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape VS Paarl Royals Venue: Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Sunrisers Eastern Cape VS Paarl Royals Date: Friday, January 23
Sunrisers Eastern Cape VS Paarl Royals Odds:
History
Sunrisers finished top of the log in the regular season but were beaten convincingly by the Capitals in Qualifier 1. This maybe shouldn’t have been a shock, with Pretoria hitting form at just the right time of the season. That win was the Capitals’ fifth in their last six games.
It leaves the inconsistent Sunrisers in this position, but they are more than good enough to beat Paarl if their stars are in form on the day. Sunrisers battered Paarl by 137 in Match 3, which feels like a lifetime ago, bowling out the Royals for 49 after setting a dominant target of 187 for the Royals to win.
The second game between the two sides, Match 7, went in the opposite direction. Set a target of 150 to win on the road at St. George’s Park, the Royals ran down SEC with two balls to spare. The five-wicket win was keyed by a stylish 71 not out by captain David Miller from 38 balls.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius was the star on Thursday as he powered Paarl to a dominant total of 210/5 after the Joburg Supr Kings won the toss and put Paarl in to bat. It was a needed half-century at a crucial time, with last year’s top run scorer proving he still can make all the shots.
In truth, it was never really a contest. The Super Kings were without Faf du Plessis, Rilee Roussow, and Donovan Ferreira through injury, and they just didn’t have the horses.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape
Sunrisers have played the entire season without star batsman Tony de Zorzi. The Proteas international has also been ruled out of February’s T20 World Cup after suffering a hamstring tear in India last December.
Paarl Royals
If the Royals are to upset SEC, then they will have to do it without the talismanic Miller. The injury that kept him out of the eliminator match makes him a major doubt for the World Cup, so it is highly unlikely he will play any further part in this SA20 season.
Best Bets
The absence of Miller has this match skewed massively in favor of the SEC at 13/20 with BetXchange.
Ottneil Baartman was expensive in the eliminator. He took two wickets in his four overs, but that came at the cost of 47 runs. He is 77/20 to be the top bowler if you think he can turn it around.
I do like Pretorius to be the top bat for Paarl. He can be taken at 5/2 against just his teammates or 24/5 against the field.
