Match Center

The SA20 League, 2025 is running at full tilt as the tournament heads towards the end of its second week. Match 12 presents another gripping contest as the Pretoria Capitals take on the Paarl Royals at the grand Super Sport Park of Centurion. Both teams are stacked in the middle of the points table and are coming on the back of a winning momentum in their previous matches. In the sky blue corner, Pretoria Capitals, despite putting some strong performances, have just one win to show in three games. Well, to be fair to them, one of their games was a complete washout as well. And in their opening clash, where the bowlers couldn’t tap off the leak of runs, the batters did the heavy lifting and brought the side to a teasingly close margin, but eventually ended on the wrong side while chasing a mammoth 210. The fresh opening pairing of Will Jacks and Rahmanullah Gurbaz presents a potential threat to any bowling unit after what they displayed in their season opener. This Rilee Rossouw side features a good strong set of middle-order batters as well. The likes of Kyle Verreynne, Liam Livingstone and Rossouw himself are ever ready to swoosh their willows when needed. Although they have remained untested due to the opening pair doing the talk, the team would like them to step up and cover the lapses. Despite conceding above 200 in the first game, the bowlers did make a striking comeback in the second, reducing their opposition to a below-run-a-ball total. A relatively inexperienced squad with James Neesham the one with extensive franchise cricket exposure, they did pretty well. Eathan Bosch, Dupavillon and Muthuswamy all have got wickets and would like to replicate the same in the coming games. Meanwhile, the men donning the pink jerseys, and the Paarl Royals, with a couple of wins, stand in the top three. But, in a tightly contested tournament like this, a couple of defeats can just dash out from being in a dominant position. With the arrival of Joe Root up top, the team has found some stability. While Lhuan-dre Pretorius, the youngster has displayed immaculate courage with his bat as well, scoring a quickfire 97, and 83 so far. The middle order though, has blown hot and cold so far and the team would like some more runs from skipper David Miller himself. The inclusion of the Indian wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik further adds experience in the side, not only with the bat but with the gloves behind the wickets as well. Dayyaan Galiem has marshaled the bowling unit with his consistent stints so far, while he has got decent support from Mujeeb Ur Rahman and others. While the sample size might not be that big, but the Paarl Royals edge the Capitals 3-2 in their head-to-head history so far. It is a golden opportunity for the home side Pretoria Capitals to utilize the home conditions and level up their opponents, let alone grab four crucial points that just might catapult them in the top three. Sit back, and relax, another exciting contest with two evenly matched sides is on the cards. Who are you supporting?