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The two-time champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape made it to their fourth successive SA20 final, beating Paarl Royals by seven wickets at Newlands on Sunday.
The two-time champions comfortably chased down the Royals' 114/7 with seven wickets and 50 balls to spare, as per a press release from SA20. Now, they will be facing Pretoria Capitals in the final. Young Englishman James Coles led the way with another superb all-round performance. Coles snared 1/15 from his four overs of off spin before breaking the back of the run chase with an undefeated 45 off just 19 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes. On a surface where few batters could counter the prodigious turn and bounce on offer, Coles targeted Dan Lawrence's first over by smashing 21 runs to bite a chunk out of the target. Coles shared an unbroken 65-run partnership with Matthew Breetzke (19 not out) to seal the Royals' fate after Quinton de Kock had blitzed a rapid 25 of only 12 balls upfront. The 21-year-old had earlier combined perfectly with Senuran Muthusamy (3/15) to set up the game for Sunrisers. The spin twins claimed four wickets for 30 runs from their allotted eight overs to restrict the Royals. It was a struggle from the outset for the Royals after stand-in captain Dan Lawrence won the toss and elected to bat. Lhuan-dre Pretorius (3) could not build on his form from the Eliminator and fell early when he chipped seamer Lutho Sipamla to Sunrisers Eastern Cape captain Tristan Stubbs at mid-off. From thereon, it was a battle for survival with Kyle Verreynne laying down anchor as the wickets continued to fall regularly at the other end. Verreynne carried his bat for a workmanlike 52 not out off 46 balls (with five fours and a six), but had precious little support from the remaining Royals batter as Sunrisers' spinners put the squeeze on. Royals' West Indian import Rovman Powell, who only arrived in South Africa a couple of days ago, could not make an impact as he lasted just two balls before Muthusamy found his outside edge. Sunrisers' seven-wicket win has set up a repeat of the inaugural SA20 Final back in 2023. Adrian Birrell's team will be seeking to reclaim the trophy they surrendered to MI Cape Town last season in a bid for an unprecedented third title, while the Capitals will be aiming to win the trophy for the first time. (ANI)
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