Pretoria Capitals vs Paarl Royals: Pretoria Capitals Occupy the Top Spot on the Table

• Paarl Royals had defeated Pretoria Capitals by six wickets in their first encounter. 

• Pretoria Capitals occupy the top spot on the table with six wins out of eight matches.

• Pretoria Capitals are likely to rest some of their players, with the semifinal to be played the next day. 

Pretoria Capitals vs Paarl Royals Odds

Pretoria Capitals vs Paarl Royals Prediction and Pick

Paarl Royals chased down 159 with six wickets and two balls to spare against a full-strength Pretoria Capitals side the last time these two met. Pretoria Capitals are slated to play the semi-final on Wednesday and they are expected to rest their key players as they did on Sunday. Paarl Royals should hold an edge in this fixture. We predict Paarl Royals to win this match on Tuesday.

Predicted XI 

Pretoria Capitals: Philip Salt (wk), Kusal Mendis, Theunis de Bruyn (c), Rilee Rossouw, Colin Ingram, James Neesham, Senuran Muthusamy, Eathan Bosch, Migael Pretorius, Daryn Dupavillon, Joshua Little

Paarl Royals: Jason Roy, Jos Buttler (wk), Wihan Lubbe, Mitchell Van Buuren, Andile Phehlukwayo, David Miller (c), Dane Vilas, Evan Jones, Bjorn Fortuin, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi

Paarl Royals Look To Pounce on Depleted Pretoria Capitals for a Chance to Play in the Second Semi-final

The match no. 30 of the SA20 will witness Pretoria Capitals and Paarl Royals battling it out at the SuperSport Park in Centurion on Tuesday, February 7th. 

Pretoria Capitals have been the standout team in the tournament, winning six out of nine matches. They have pretty much secured the top spot with 27 points and a net run rate of 0.670. They had rested a few players in the previous game and were hammered by 151 runs. 

Their inexperienced bowling attack was smashed to smithereens by Durban's Super Giants, led by Heinrich Klaasen's outrageous 44-ball 104 not-out. Trying to chase a massive target of 255, Pretoria kept losing wickets and were eventually bowled out for just 103. 

Paarl Royals have 19 points to their credit, having won four games and lost four. They are almost through to the semifinals due to their net run rate of 0.050, compared to Durban's -0.319. The Royals only need to make sure they don't lose by a big margin. 

Their previous game ended in a no-result after 15 overs of play, in which Jason Roy scored 61 off 42. Earlier they defeated Sunrisers Eastern Cape by five wickets. Evan Jones and Andile Phehlukwayo picked two wickets each. Jos Buttler scored a fifty while David Miller smashed an unbeaten 37 off 23 to chase down 131. 

Team News

Pretoria Capitals' captain Wayne Parnell picked up a hamstring injury during the match against MI Cape Town and did not play the following game. He should miss this one as well. Anrich Nortje and Adil Rashid were rested in the previous game and are likely to sit out here as well. A bowling attack of Eathan Bosch, Migael Pretorius, Daryn Dupavillon, and Joshua Little lacks experience. The batting unit will rely on Phil Salt, Kusal Mendis, and Rilee Rossouw. 

Paarl Royals are expected to field a full-strength side to avoid playing Pretoria Capitals in the first semifinal on the following day. They have Jos Buttler and David Miller in good form while Jason Roy has found his touch in recent matches. Lungi Ngidi, Evan Jones, and Andile Phehlukwayo form the pace attack while Bjorn Fortuin and Tabraiz Shamsi have been pretty good in the spin department. 

Key Players 

Kusal Mendis has been a much-improved player in the shorter format in recent times, consistently making an impact with high intent. He has scored 115 from four innings this tournament at a strike rate of 145. Mendis has scored over 1500 runs in the last couple of years at an average of 33 while striking at around 130. 

Jos Buttler has taken a measured route in the ongoing tournament as the pitches have often been difficult to bat on with the new ball. He has scored 308 runs from nine innings at an average of 38.5 while striking 127, including three fifties. Buttler has a stellar record in T20 cricket as an opener, averaging 45 and striking at around 150. 

Match Details

What: Pretoria Capitals vs Paarl Royals, Match 30, SA20 2023

Where: SuperSport Park, Centurion

When: February 7, 2023 / 10:30 AM EST 

How to watch: Sports 18 / Jio Cinema (Application), SportsMax (Caribbean), Fox Sports & Channel 7 (Australia), Sky Sport NZ (New Zealand), SuperSport (South Africa), Willow TV (USA), Sky Sports Cricket (United Kingdom)