Sunrisers Eastern Cape reach Qualifier 2 after making 170/7 in their 20 overs in Qualifier 1 in Durban. Jonny Bairstow anchored the innings with 50 off 36 balls, Jordan Hermann added 41 off 30 and Tristan Stubbs finished unbeaten on 26 off 22. James Coles hit 17 off just four balls late on. The bowlers were less convincing: Anrich Nortje took 1/33, Lewis Gregory 1/42 and Chris Green 1/31, and the side struggled to hold back the scoring in the middle and death overs.
Paarl Royals come in full of confidence after beating Joburg Super Kings by 36 runs in the Eliminator at Centurion. They batted first and posted 210/5, built on Lhuan-dre Pretorius’s 51 off 34 balls, with Dan Lawrence making 36, Sikandar Raza 35 and Asa Tribe an unbeaten 30.
The Royals’ bowlers backed that up by striking early and never letting Joburg build momentum. Hardus Viljoen took three wickets, Ottneil Baartman and Bjorn Fortuin kept things tight in the middle overs, and despite resistance from James Vince and Wiaan Mulder, Joburg were held to 174/8. It sets up a contest between the Sunrisers’ batting power and the Royals’ recent bowling control.