The Paarl Royals got their 2025 SA20 campaign off to the perfect start on Saturday by claiming a convincing 10-wicket win against the Sunrisers Eastern Cape at a sold-out Boland Park in Paarl.

The defending champions, the Sunrisers, have now suffered their second consecutive heavy defeat in the competition after losing by 97 runs to MI Cape Town on Thursday at St George's Park in the opening game of the series.

Sunrisers captain Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to bat first in a hot Paarl. His team managed to post a respectable 175/5 in their allotted 20 overs.

Lhuan-dré Pretorius - SA20

Markram was in fine form with the bat, top-scoring for the Sunrisers with 82 off 49 balls, an innings that included seven fours and two sixes. Tristan Stubbs contributed 28, while England international Zak Crawley added 27 to the total.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman of Afghanistan was the pick of the Royals' bowlers, finishing with figures of 2/27 in his 4 overs. Teenage debutant Kwena Maphaka also impressed, taking 2/35 in his spell.

In reply, the Potchefstroom-born 18-year-old opening batter for the Royals, Lhuan-dré Pretorius, was in destructive form with the bat. He smashed 97 runs off 51 balls, including 10 fours and six sixes, as he put on a 132-run partnership for the first wicket with former England captain Joe Root.

Ironically, it was another Potchefstroom-born player, Marco Jansen, who dismissed Pretorius, trapping him LBW in the 13th over. For his outstanding knock, Pretorius was named Player of the Match.

Root, who spent part of his youth in Bloemfontein and attended St Andrew's School, hit the winning runs with eight balls to spare. He remained unbeaten on 62 off 44 deliveries. Royals captain and former Knights batter David Miller was also unbeaten, scoring 17.

Jansen, who also played for the Knights earlier in his career, was the pick of the Sunrisers' bowlers with figures of 1/35 in his 4 overs.

Joe Root - SA20

After the win, Pretorius expressed his delight at contributing to his team's success.

“I'm just glad we got over the line,” said the big-hitting teenager.

“Batting with Joe Root – he calmed me down. I'm just lost for words. I was getting annoyed facing a couple of dot balls. We'll take the win, but we're not looking too far ahead into the future.”

The action now moves to Johannesburg, where the Joburg Super Kings will play their first game of the campaign against MI Cape Town at the Wanderers. Play at the Bullring is scheduled to start at 17:30 on Saturday.

Meanwhile, on Sunday at 17:30, the Pretoria Capitals will face the Durban Super Giants at SuperSport Park in Centurion. On Friday night, DSG beat the Capitals by 2 runs at Kingsmead in Durban.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport