The win not only propelled the Royals deeper into the playoffs but also brought the curtain down on the Super Kings’ campaign. It’s straight back into action for the Royals on Friday.

The team face the two-time champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape in Johannesburg, with a coveted spot in Sunday’s final against the Pretoria Capitals at Newlands in Cape Town up for grabs.

Batting first, the Royals produced a powerful performance, posting a highly competitive 210/5 in their 20 overs. Potchefstroom-born Lhuan-Dré Pretorius led the charge with a fluent 51 off 34 balls, smashing two fours and five sixes.

Dan Lawrence chipped in with a brisk 36 off 23, while Sikandar Raza added valuable impetus with 35 off 19. The finishing touches were applied by Kyle Verreynne and Asa Tribe, who both struck 30, off 15 and 16 balls respectively.

For the Super Kings, Wiaan Mulder was the standout with the ball, finishing with figures of 2/45.

In reply, the Super Kings never quite got the momentum they needed. Captain James Vince top-scored with 47 off 29 balls, while Mulder backed up his bowling effort with 41 off 27, but JSK were ultimately restricted to 174/8 in their 20 overs.

The Royals’ bowlers were clinical, with Hardus Viljoen stealing the show through an excellent spell of 3/24 in four overs, while Ottneil Baartman chipped in with 2/47.

After setting the record straight against JSK, the big-hitting Pretorius revealed that aggression was never the primary plan, but rather reading the conditions and playing what was in front of him.

“No, I wouldn’t say it was planned. We felt the wicket was a bit slow, so hard lengths and slower balls into the pitch were difficult to hit,” said Pretorius.

“Anything up, our game plan was to try and hit it over the top, and if you time it well, it goes for six. That’s probably where some of the boundaries came from.

Quinton de Kock. Photo: Cricinfo

“As an opening batter, the plan is always to bat the full 20 overs, but I wouldn’t say I was batting within myself. It was tough at the start, and the pitch was a bit slow.

“Kyle’s innings was really important and probably undervalued – he helped me a lot after that first over. After facing a maiden, I was honestly thinking of kicking my stumps over. But no, I wouldn’t say I was batting within myself.”

Looking ahead to Friday’s showdown at the Wanderers, Pretorius acknowledged the quality of the Sunrisers, particularly in knockout cricket.

Marco Jansen. Photo: Cricinfo

“I think they’re a well-balanced side with a lot of very good international players – Quinton de Kock, Marco Jansen, Anrich Nortjé – you can name the whole team,” said the young batter.

“But when it comes down to it on the day, it’s a team that wants to win. It’s bat versus ball. If you play the names, you might get into trouble because there are a lot of big names in that side.

“But if we can put in another performance like tonight, I’m sure we can get away with a win tomorrow.”

Friday’s Qualifier 2 at the iconic Bullring is scheduled to get underway at 17:30.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cvs