Paarl Royals vs Pretoria Capitals – Preview

The second edition of the SA20 got off to a bad start on Wednesday with the Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Joburg Super Kings clash getting washed out. But on the following day, the fans inside the Kingsmead Stadium in Durban were treated to some pulsating affair between Durban Super Giants and MI Cape Town. It was Proteas batsman Heinrich Klaassen with a knock of genius to give Super Giants a win having to chase a mammoth total of 207. Today the focus turns to Paarl Royals up against Pretoria Capitals in what promises to be a mouthwatering clash. It is a repeat of last year’s semi-final where Capital managed to come on top on the day.

Pretoria Capitals had an incredible season in the inaugural SA20 edition topping the table from the beginning to the end. But they lost a final to Sunrisers Eastern Cape which still leaves a sour taste in their mouth. No one ever saw it coming that they might be dispatched to their turf after winning four of five matches at home. On that day, they became the second-best throughout all departments. It was a lesson that hard to forget too. So, what does this season have in store for them? The loss of their bowler Anrich Nortje through injury leaves a very big hole to fill in their ambitions to come near the title. Nortje was going to spearhead the bowling attack and comes with a wealth of experience on his shoulders.

So inside the camp are still finding ways to cope without him and have been replaced by Hardus Viljoen’s team. But the Capitals are not short of experienced players to take them over the line. The T20 specialist Rilee Rossouw is expected to fire his side’s attacking option. Rossouw is known for his clinical batting and aggressive approach. It no doubt that will give bowlers a headache throughout the tournament. Then the experience and leadership of Scottish Paul Stirling will be valuable in the squad. Then Adil Rashid’s exceptional bowling has to come to part and contribute to their success.

For Royals, the key is to start the competition on a bright note to gain momentum. Last season, they pushed hard in the closing stages to get a semi-final spot. So, they don’t want to see themselves in a similar position even this year too. Their strongest powers have to be batting options if you are looking at Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, and David Miller all in the same team. That alone makes the opponents have deep thoughts on how they are going to stop them. All three of them are playing similarly- attack and put a batsman under pressure as much as you can. Plus, the T20 format is a game with no wait. Get the runs on the board as fast as you can. It is all about entertainment at best. In the bowling, all eyes will be on Lungi Ngidi to do a clean-up job like he has done in the past.

What To Expect

Expect a very entertaining match as both sides have fairly balanced squads. The last time these sides collided at Paarl, the home side won that match. Then went on to lose the following two against the same opponents.

Prediction

Best Bet: Royals to win at 1.90

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