It will be the second time in less than a week these two sides go head-to-head in Bloemfontein after the Knights edged the team from East London by three runs via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method on Tuesday in Qualifier 1.

Earlier in the competition, Border managed to beat Free State by four wickets at Buffalo Park, and Sunday’s final will truly be a decider between the two top teams, as well as the most dominant sides in the competition.

Eastern Cape Iinyathi celebrating a wicket in Qualifier 2. Photo: Iinyathi

The Knights have, however, already bagged the 15 valuable points in the promotion race, but like the Bloemfontein-based outfit, the Iinyathi themselves have strong ambitions to play in Division 1 from next season.

There is, however, rain around Bloemfontein again on Sunday, and this may well be a deciding factor in the outcome – but it will also push both teams into the championship match with serious intent.

A key player for the Iinyathi will be their captain, Nathan Roux, who scored 68 not out on Friday in Qualifier 2 against the Garden Route Badgers as they claimed a 25-run victory at home.

Roux is a former Free State and Knights opening batter who also represented the University of the Free State.

He has a keen understanding of the Knights as well as the conditions, but the final will be played on a fresh wicket in Bloemfontein, which may seem a little foreign to the team.

Roux told OFM Sport while they have travelled a lot in the last week, they will be fresh and ready for one last big push, and they are excited by the challenge.

Thando Ntini, son of the Proteas fast bowling great, Makhaya Ntini. Photo: Iinyathi

“I’m really excited for the final – we’ve had a lot of mileage in the last couple of days, so the guys might not be the freshest, but we’ll definitely be more than up for Sunday.

“We’re a motivated, family-type group, many of us are locals who’ve played together since school, and we’ve come a long way.

“We’re tightly knit, we know our processes, and we have a clear blueprint for the tournament. As it’s gone on, we’ve ironed things out and feel like a well-oiled machine.”

He said they need no extra motivation as they know what is up for grabs, and they would have taken plenty of confidence from their clinical display against SWD in the “semi-final” on Friday.

“We put in a nice clinical display on Friday, and hopefully we can carry that momentum into the final,” added Roux, who will be motivated to prove a point against his former team.

“We’re going to bring energy and enthusiasm, and we’re really looking forward to it. It’s 1-1 between us and the Knights, so we’ve got a point to prove – not just to chase silverware, but to set the tone for the rest of the season and our push for promotion.”

Sunday’s final between the Knights and Iinyathi at the Mangaung Oval is scheduled to get underway at 13:00.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek dg