Paarl Royals vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape Predictions - Royals backed to win at home in SA20

John Eastwood

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Last updated: 10 Jan 2025

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John Eastwood 10 Jan 2025

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Sunrisers Eastern Cape suffered a heavy loss against MI Cape Town.
Paarl Royals have a strong lineup with new additions, poised for a win.
Sunrisers may need team changes following their opener defeat.

Expired

Joe Root will be looking for a big performance this season (Getty Images)

Paarl Royals vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape Predictions

The Sunrisers are the two-time defending SA20 champions but suffered a heavy loss to the MI Cape Town in their opener. It is tough to see them bouncing back from that, so I am backing the Royals to win.

Paarl Royals vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape Predictions
Head to Head
Paarl Royals Form
Paarl Royals Injuries & Team News
Sunrisers Eastern Cape Form
Sunrisers Eastern Cape Injuries & Team News

Paarl Royals have lost their last 5 SA20 matches.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape lost their last match.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape have won their last 2 matches against the Paarl Royals.

Head to Head

These sides have met on four occasions with the Sunrisers winning three. Last season, the Eastern Cape side won both fixtures.

Paarl Royals Form

Paarl Royals come into their first match of the season with hope that they can repeat the feats of last season, if not go better. They finished third on the SA20 table in 2024, winning five and losing five before being knocked out in the playoffs.

After a good start to the tournament last year, the Royals fell away badly towards the end, losing their last four league games and then the Eliminator against the Joburg Super Kings.

Paarl Royals Injuries & Team News

The Paarl Royals boast another strong squad with some world class players around. Faf du Plessis is not in the mix which means David Miller takes over the captaincy. England’s new young star, Jacob Bethell will join the squad but is currently playing in the BBL.

Joe Root gives the Royals plenty of batting quality while the likes of Lungi Ngidi, Kwena Maphaka and Nqabayomzi Peter makes for a strong bowling lineup.

Sunrisers Eastern Cape Form

The Sunrisers may have won the opening two editions of the SA20, but they came up horribly short in their 2025 opener against MI Cape Town at home.

Bowling first, the Sunrisers Eastern Cape did well initially, but lost their way towards the back end. That allowed MI Cape Town to score 174 in 20 overs.

The score was certainly within reach, but the Sunrisers batting lineup failed miserably. They were bowled out for 77 runs in 15 overs. Aiden Markram top scored with 19 runs.

Sunrisers Eastern Cape Injuries & Team News

While we are not near panic stations, the Sunrisers could make a few changes to their side. David Bedingham will surely get the chance to shore up that middle order.