Kavya Maran celebrates Sunrisers win [Source: @SA20_League/x]Sunrisers Eastern Cape crushed Paarl Royals in a lop-sided second qualifier to storm into the final of the SA20 2026 season. The outcome marked the Sunrisers’ fourth successive appearance in a final ever since the inaugural edition of the tournament back in 2023. Shortly after middle-order batter James Coles notched up the winning runs for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape, franchise’ team executive Kavya Maran jumped in joy and hugged her father Kalanithi Maran in the stands. Kavya Maran jubilant as Sunrisers storm into fourth successive final Sunrisers Eastern Cape stormed into their fourth successive SA20 final by crushing Paarl Royals in the second qualifier of the 2026 edition of the competition at the iconic Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. Sunrisers team executive Kavya Maran, who attended the stadium for the knockout fixture, visibly could not hold her excitement after the result as she jumped in joy to applaud the team. Kavya also hugged her father Kalanithi Maran as the two celebrated the franchise’s latest milestone from the stands.Mufaddal Vohra @mufaddal_vohra Kavya Maran hugging her father when Sunrisers Eastern Cape made to their 4th consecutive final. 🥹❤️Jan 24, 2026, 12:37 AM Sunrisers Eastern Cape vs Paarl Royals: How it panned outSunrisers Eastern Cape bowlers Anrich Nortje (2-31) and Lutho Sipamla (1-14) pacemen picked up three wickets between them in their combined six overs. Ace spinner Senuran Muthusamy struck thrice in his four-over spell of 3-15, which included the prized scalps of Asa Tribe and Sikandar Raza. James Coles also picked up a wicket as the Sunrisers restricted the Paarl Royals to a modest 114-7 in 20 overs. For the Royals, opening batter Kyle Verreynne himself listed 52 of those runs in just 46 balls with five fours and a six. Chasing 115, Sunrisers Eastern Cape blazed past their target in just 11.4 overs with seven wickets to spare. James Coles at number five blasted a quick 45* from 19 balls with four fours and three sixes, which also included a match-winning hit off Lhuan-dre Pretorius as the Sunrisers reached an SA20 final for the fourth successive time. Sunrisers Eastern Cape journey to the SA20 2026 final Sunrisers Eastern Cape, under the leadership of Tristan Stubbs, qualified for the SA20 2026 playoffs by finishing at the top of the points table. The franchise secured five wins at an expense of three defeats, with two no-results from 10 matches. The Sunrisers also held a formidable NRR of 1.762, the highest among all teams by a landslide. The two-time SA20 winners started off with confident wins over Paarl Royals and Pretoria Capitals last month. A close defeat against Royals on December 31 was followed by a no-result against Joburg Super Kings and a 10-wicket trouncing of Capitals at Centurion. The Sunrisers Eastern Cape underwent a rather topsy-turvy run in their second half of the league, securing wins over Super Kings and MI Cape Town but also sustaining two losses. The Tristan Stubbs-led side will now face Pretoria Capitals in the final of the SA20 2026 season. The match will be hosted by the iconic Newlands in Cape Town on Sunday, January 25.
