Sunrisers Eastern Cape Enter this clash as the team and favorite, while Paarl Royals Desperate to reset after a tough start to the season. With the opposite pace and seamer-friendly St George’s Park on offer, this is a high-intensity format SA20 Competition.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape has started SA20 2025-26 With two wins from two matches and are on top of the table, that shows a well-prepared, in-form unit. Paarl Royals have played only one game and were defeated by Sunrisers earlier in the tournament, leaving them bottom-placed and under early pressure. The Eastern Cape also dominated the head-to-head earlier this season with a massive 137-run win, a result that will strongly influence both confidence and tactics in this game.
SEC vs PR, SA20 2025-26: Match Details
- date and time: 31 December (Wednesday); 04:30 PM IST / 11:00 PM GMT / 1:00 PM local
- venue: St. George’s Park, Gqebarha
SEC vs PR, head-to-head record in SA20:
Matches played: 7 | Sunrisers Eastern Cape won: 5 | Paarl Royals won: 2 , No result/tied: 0
St George’s Park pitch report
St George’s Park in Gkebarha is expected to benefit the bowlers, especially the fast bowlers, as has been seen in recent SA20 matches. The pitch generally offers good pace and bounce with little seam movement early on, giving fast bowlers a chance to make an impact in the early overs. The spinners have had a tough time here, with the fast bowlers taking most of the wickets.
The batsmen will have to spend some time at the crease and play with patience in the beginning, as the new ball can be difficult. While shorter boundaries can help power-hitters capitalize in the later innings, the surface becomes slower in the middle overs, and slightly less bounce can often lead to a sudden batting collapse. There is a possibility of dew tomorrow evening, the conditions could become even more challenging and could play a decisive role in the match.
squads
Sunrisers Eastern Cape: Jonny Bairstow, Quinton de Kock (wk), Tristan Stubbs (c), Lewis Gregory, Matthew Bretzke, Marco Janssen, Patrick Kruger, Senuran Muthusamy, Adam Milne, Anrich Nortje, Chris Wood, Allah Ghazanfar, JP King, Christopher King, Jordan Harman, Mitchell Van Buuren, Tharindu Rathnayake, James Coles, Beyers Swanepoel, Lutho Sipamla
Paarl Royals: Luan-Dre Pretorius, Vishen Halambage, Rubin Harman, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Asa Tribe, david miller (c), Delano Potgieter, Bjorn Fortuyn, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Nkobani Mokoena, Otniel Bartman, Dan Lawrence, Sikandar Raza, Gudakesh Moti, Hardus Viljoen, Okuhle Cele, Nkabayomji Peter, Ishan Malinga, Keegan Lyon Cachet, Thomas Reve
Also read: Sunrisers Eastern Cape hand Paarl Royals a one-sided win on their lowest ever SA20 score
SEC vs PR, SA20 2025-26: Today Match Prediction
Case 1:
- Sunrisers Eastern Cape won the toss and bowled first
- Paarl Royals Powerplay Score: 45-55 (6 overs)
- Paarl Royals total score: 165-175
Case 2:
- Paarl Royals won the toss and bowled first
- Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s powerplay score: 55-65 (6 overs)
- Sunrisers Eastern Cape total score: 170-180
Match result: The team that bowls first wins the competition.
Also read: SA20 2026: Full list of commentators and presenters for South Africa’s explosive T20 cricket league
