Sunrisers Eastern Cape skittle Paarl Royals for SA20’s lowest-ever total in one-sided win

Sunrisers Eastern Cape launched their SA20 2025-26 campaign in ruthless fashion, crushing Paarl Royals by 137 runs in the third match at Boland Park, Paarl, on December 27, 2025. The defending champions produced a complete performance, setting up a massive total before dismantling the Royals for the lowest score in the tournament’s history.​

Sunrisers Eastern Cape set up a formidable total against Paarl Royals

After winning the toss, Sunrisers Eastern Cape opted to bat first on a Boland Park surface that initially looked true but always promised help for disciplined seam bowling under lights. Their top order made full use of the hard new ball as Quinton de Kock and Jonny Bairstow exploded out of the blocks, racing the score past fifty inside the first five overs and instantly putting the Paarl attack under pressure. The aggressive tempo in the powerplay forced Royals’ captain to shuffle his bowlers early, but Sunrisers’ batters continued to target the shorter side of the ground and punished anything marginally off length.​

The middle overs were controlled with notable composure, as Sunrisers shifted seamlessly from all-out attack to calculated accumulation, ensuring wickets in hand for a final surge at the death. Smart strike rotation against spin and precise boundary-hitting in the last four overs propelled them to 186 for 4, a total well above par at Boland Park and one that immediately exposed the fragility of the Royals’ batting card under scoreboard pressure.​

Paarl Royals crumble to record-low score in SA20 history

Chasing 187, Paarl Royals required a strong, risk-managed start, but their innings unraveled almost instantly against a ferocious new-ball burst from Anrich Nortje and Adam Milne. Both quicks hit a heavy length at high pace, extracting steep bounce and seam movement, and the top order simply could not cope as Royals slumped to 15 for 4 inside the first four overs. Edged drives, mistimed pulls and indecisive prods outside off stump became a pattern, with Sunrisers’ slip cordon and ring fielders snapping up every half-chance to deepen the crisis.​

As the collapse intensified, Royals’ hopes of respectability rested briefly on Asa Tribe and Kyle Verreynne, the only batters to reach double figures, but once that partnership was broken the tail folded rapidly. The hosts were bundled out for 49 in just 11.5 overs, undercutting Pretoria Capitals’ 52 against the same franchise in 2024 to set a new lowest total in SA20 history and handing Sunrisers a colossal 137-run victory. This statement win not only reinforced Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s reputation as the premier bowling unit of the league, but also highlighted how their pace battery can dictate entire campaigns by turning defendable scores into utterly one-sided contests.​

Top 5 lowest team totals in SA20