Paarl Royals take on MI Cape Town at Boland Park in Paarl on Friday, 2 January 2026, with the match getting underway at 17:30 local time. This is Match 10 of the SA20 League, and it arrives at a critical point for both sides who sit outside of the playoff spots in the early going.
Outright Betting Update – Click Here to Bet
Defending champions MI Cape Town remain outright favourites despite a difficult start to the tournament and are currently priced at 3.65 to retain their title. Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Joburg Super Kings share second favouritism at 4.75, while Durban’s Super Giants sit just behind at 5.00.
The Paarl Royals are priced at 8.00, alongside the Pretoria Capitals, who are also priced at 8.00 following an emphatic win in their most recent outing.
Match 10 Preview
Paarl Royals come into this contest having bounced back impressively from their opening defeat, edging Sunrisers Eastern Cape by 5 wickets in Match 7 at St George’s Park. Chasing 150, the Royals showed composure under pressure, with David Miller producing a match-winning 71 off 38 balls*. Earlier Nqobani Mokoena picked up 4/34 in his 4 overs to help restrict SEC to under 150.
That victory lifted them to 4 points from two matches and steadied their campaign.
MI Cape Town, by contrast, have endured a torrid start to their title defence. After an opening loss to DSG at home and a rain-affected no result in Durban, they were comprehensively outplayed by the Pretoria Capitals in Match 8, losing by 85 runs at Newlands.
Their bowling struggled to contain the Capitals’ batting, who went wild late on to reach 220/5, with Rabada making a welcome return the pick of the bowlers with 2-48 in his 4 overs.
The chase looked on at 100/2 in the 9th over but the departure of Pooran for 25 off 6 balls sparked a collapse and they were bowled out for 135 inside 15 overs. With just 2 points from three matches, MI Cape Town are already under pressure to respond and avoid becoming also rans in the tournament.
Boland Park is traditionally a low-scoring venue, and how the sides batting lineups handle conditions and the spin threat will be key.
Match Odds – Click Here to Bet
- Paarl Royals: 2.45
- MI Cape Town: 1.59
Suggested Bets
Bet: Paarl Royals to Win @ 2.45
Given current form, home conditions, and MI Cape Town’s struggles with both bat and ball, the Royals look over-priced. With confidence restored after their win over SEC, they appeal as value at odds against and I have not changed my view that the bookmakers are pricing MICT based on last seasons glory run.
Bet: Top Paarl Royals Batter – David Miller @5.00
Miller looked in excellent touch in Match 7 and remains the key finisher in the Royals’ lineup. He knows the ground well and the thinking will be to get him out in the middle with enough time to be an influence.
Bet: Lhuan-dre Pretorius under 20.5 runs at 0.87
Pretorius was a revelation last season but he had a lot of luck in some of his big knocks and teams I believe have started to work him out.
Prices correct at the time of writing and subject to change.
