Royals have won only once in the last five encounters in this rivalry.
Paarl Royals will host Sunrisers Eastern Cape in match No.3 of the SA20 2026 on Saturday evening. The contest is scheduled to take place at the Boland Park in Paarl, with both teams looking to kick off their campaign on a positive note.
One of the challenges the franchises will face this season is adjusting to new units after the mega auction. Both these teams have several new faces and have lost some of their old stars. Paarl Royals will continue with David Miller as the captain, but Sunrisers Eastern Cape will be led by Tristan Stubbs this season. The new SEC skipper could be the biggest obstacle for Paarl Royals in this encounter.
Looking at the things from recent months, Stubbs is not in the best of shape. His confidence has taken a hit after a lack of clarity given to him by the South Africa team management in white-ball cricket. However, he is a proven performer in the SA20.
The 25-year-old has made 723 runs in this league at an average of 32.86 while striking at 140.11. He has hit three fifties with consistent contributions down the order. With Aiden Markram not in the side anymore, Stubbs becomes more important in that batting unit.
Paarl Royals have lost four of the five encounters against Sunrisers Eastern Cape. If they are to win this game, neutralising Stubbs will be vital.
The star right-hand batter can be a beast on his day, but he has his weaknesses. Left-arm orthodox and leg-break spin have troubled the batter in his career so far.
| vs Bowling Type | Runs | Balls | Outs | Avg | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Left-arm Chinaman | 80 | 37 | 1 | 80.0 | 216.2 |
| Left-arm Fast | 8 | 7 | 1 | 8.0 | 114.3 |
| Left-arm Medium | 385 | 232 | 6 | 64.2 | 165.9 |
| Left-arm Orthodox | 273 | 214 | 12 | 22.8 | 127.6 |
| Right-arm Fast | 170 | 144 | 7 | 24.3 | 118.1 |
| Right-arm Legbreak | 385 | 285 | 14 | 27.5 | 135.1 |
| Right-arm Medium | 985 | 670 | 31 | 31.8 | 147.0 |
| Right-arm Offbreak | 152 | 104 | 4 | 38.0 | 146.2 |
As you can see, Stubbs has found it hard to score against these bowling types in the shorter format. Not only that, but he has also lost his wicket more often compared to the other bowling types.
The Royals have two left-arm spinners in their squad in Bjorn Fortuin and Gudakesh Motie. They also have the leg-spin option of Nqabayomzi Peter. The franchise should use the spin trio to counter Stubbs, who is an excellent hitter of pace bowling.
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Paarl Royals had turned Boland Park into their fortress in the previous season. They won five out of five games at their home venue, and one of the major reasons was their spin-heavy approach.
The franchise asked for slower pitches with assistance for spinners. They had the resources to make the most of it.
In the previous edition, teams bowled 65.68% of spin overs and only 34.32% overs of pace at Boland Park. Paarl Royals took it one step further, using spinners for 74% of overs compared to just 26% of pace.
Spin vs Pace Overs at Boland Park: All Teams vs Paarl Royals
With that success in the last season, it would be silly not to employ the same tactics. The Royals have the resources this time as well, after the mega auction, having managed a spin attack of Fortuin, Peter, Motie, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
The David Miller-led side can choke the opponents with spin in this season as well, starting with Tristan Stubbs and Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
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