Sunrisers Eastern Cape skittle Paarl Royals, SA20’s lowest total in a one-sided win.

Sunrisers Eastern Cape they started SA20 2025-26 campaign mercilessly, crush Pearl Royals 137 runs in the third match at Boland Park, Paarl on 27 December 2025. The defending champions put in a solid performance to get a big result before knocking out the Royals for their lowest score in the history of the tournament.

Sunrisers Eastern Cape put up a huge total against Paarl Royals

After winning the toss, Sunrisers Eastern Cape chose to bat on the Boland Park surface, which initially looked true but always promised help for regular seam bowling under lights. Took full advantage of the tough new ball as their top order Quinton de Kock and Jonny Bairstow burst through the blocks, scoring a fifty in the first five overs and immediately putting the Paarl attack under pressure. Aggressive pace in the powerplay forced the Royals skipper to quickly shuffle his bowlers, but the Sunrisers’ batsmen continued to target the shorter side of the ground, punishing things by a bit of a length.

The middle innings was handled with remarkable composure as Sunrisers seamlessly transitioned from an all-out attack to a calculated build-up, securing wickets in hand for the final surge at the death. Clever batting rotation against spin and accurate boundary hitting in the last four overs took them to 186 for 4, a slightly higher total at Boland Park, which immediately exposed the fragility of the Royals’ batting card under scoreboard pressure.

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Paarl Royals collapsed with a record low score in SA20 history

Chasing 187, Paarl Royals required a strong, risk-controlled start, but their innings opened up almost immediately in the face of the fierce burst of the new ball. Anrich Nortje and Adam Milne. Both paces hit high lengths at high speed, producing steep bounce and seam movement, and the top order simply couldn’t cope as the Royals fell to 4 for 15 in the first four overs. Sharp drives, ill-timed pulls and indecisive movements off the off-stump became a pattern, with Sunrisers’ slip cordon and ring pitches seizing every opportunity to deepen the crisis.​​

As the collapse intensified, the Royals’ hopes of respectability were briefly put on hold The tribe of Asa and Kyle Verreynethe only batsmen to reach double figures, but the tail folded quickly when that partnership broke down. The hosts were bundled out for 49 in just 11.5 overs Pretoria Capitals‘ 52 against the same franchise in 2024 to set a new lowest total in SA20 history and hand Sunrisers a massive 137-run victory. This statement not only reinforced Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s reputation as the league’s premier bowling unit, but also highlighted how their pace battery can dictate entire campaigns, turning defensible scores into completely one-sided contests.

Top 5 lowest teams in SA20

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