Pretoria Capitals vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Final, SA20, 2025-26 - Commentary

Stubbs receives the trophy and hoists it along with his group of players. What a unit they have. Four finals in four seasons, three of them ending in title wins. The party has begun in Cape Town and it'll go long into the night. Hope you enjoyed our coverage. Has been a lot of fun bringing you this tournament which has grown year on year. Until next time, it's goodbye from Raju Peethala, Sagar Chawla and Praveen Kumar.

And consider this: just two weeks into the tournament, having been appointed captain, Tristan Stubbs receives the news that he has been dropped from the T20 World Cup squad. Although he later replaced the injured de Zorzi in the World Cup, Stubbs could not have chosen a better stage or moment to underline his credentials - both as a player and as a leader. He struggled for timing early on, but showed immense composure, stayed the course, and sealed the game with two mighty sixes. Then there’s head coach Adrian Birrell. The entire Sunrisers setup has consistently credited their success to him. A man of few words and decisive action, Birrell’s calm authority seems to define this franchise. And perhaps that tells you everything you need to know about the Sunrisers Eastern Cape - a team built not just on talent, but on belief, timing, and the ability to deliver when it matters most.

Four seasons. Four finals. Three titles: What is it that the Sunrisers Eastern Cape have that the other franchises in this SA20 league seem to lack? When the Sunrisers released the league’s most successful captain, Aiden Markram, ahead of the 2025 auction, few would have predicted a top-of-the-table finish. On paper, they certainly had experience - Quinton de Kock, Jonny Bairstow, Tristan Stubbs, Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen and Chris Green are all seasoned T20 campaigners. But what truly worked in their favour was the way the lesser-experienced players - Matthew Breetzke, Jordan Hermann and James Coles - rose to the occasion at different moments through the season. Earlier today, they looked down and out as Dewald Brevis was nailing them to all corners. Yet, just when the game appeared to be slipping away, South Africa’s experienced pace duo, Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortje, decisively turned it back in Sunrisers’ favour. The pair conceded just three runs in the final two overs - including a stunning double-wicket maiden - swinging the momentum in dramatic fashion.

Tristan Stubbs | Sunrisers captain: So stoked, can't explain it. Don't know what we did or how we did it. Me and Matty out there, we were calm but probably were panicking too (laughs). We know we bat so well together. Kept looking for an over to get momentum. Came in the 16th over and we ran with it. Funny things happen under pressure. Have really enjoyed this month. Have had a great group to work with. We plan really well for games. Me and Quinny have this great thing going where we chat about bowling changes. We keep it simple. It's a great run management by Aidi (coach Adrian) and the team. And we have a good Orange Army that backs us wherever we go.

Keshav Maharaj | Capitals captain: Disappointing to say the least. Two batters were in and got set. Have had great supports from the crowds. Has been a topsy turvy season. You feel the hurt of coming so close. The starts we get from both bat and ball is something we have to look at. Boys will hurt for a bit. 60 in 4 is not something that is chased down in this sort of situation. Just proves you can never take it for granted in T20. I'm not someone who dwells on the negatives. But we have to rectify the mistakes if we have to win trophies as a unit.

de Kock | Batter and Player of the season: Have had a great season. Knew we had a great team on and off the field. Fought really hard for the trophy today. Some of the youngsters showed some big grit. It's Tristan's first time captaining so he was always going to need my help. Was just helping. My two year retirement did me well, I was happy to be back and happy to be playing cricket again for the country.

Ottniel Baartman | Bowler of the season: PE was a special place, special group of players, enjoyed my time there but have now found a new home. Have tried to lead the attack from a bowling point of view.

Jordan Hermann | Rising Star of the season: Extremely proud. To put a good season together, I'm extremely chuffed. Can't say anything, he was above me last year, so it's equal now. The team is unbelievable.

Adrian Birrell | Sunrisers Eastern Cape coach: Really proud and thrilled. Was a hell of a final. For Dewald to play like he did and for us to hold them to 158 - would've taken that at the halfway stage. At the timeout, the two batters said "don't worry coach, we've got this."

Brevis | Player of the Match: Bit disappointed but proud of everyone. We had a great season. Finals are about moments and they were above us in those moments. We'll be stronger next time. It's not me, it's God that blessed me to do stuff like that. We have a great support staff. Sourav stuff helped me with a few pointers. This last few games were fun, great situations, every situation was different. It's just playing the ball on merit and being in the moment.

Charles Langveldt | SEC bowling coach: I’ve known Adrian and Russell for quite some time, and it was very easy to come into this setup because it’s like a family - the Sunrisers family, the Orange Army. The bowlers embraced me straight away. We’ve got a senior, international bowling group, and then guys like Lutho stepping up today made a huge impact. It’s been special to be part of.

Russell Domingo | SEC batting coach: No, it hasn’t really sunk in yet. I’ve actually got (fishing) practice tomorrow with another team, but this is an incredible achievement. I’m so pleased for Adrian - he’s an amazing coach and an amazing bloke. He’s put together a great group of players, and the owners have been fantastic in allowing him to run the show. It genuinely couldn’t have happened to a better person.

Adrian Birrell | SEC head coach: I think we’ve got a really good team and we selected well at the auction. We’ve played good cricket throughout the tournament - winning four games with bonus points, not losing by big margins, and staying consistent. I think that consistency has been a big factor, and tonight we managed to come out on top.

Senuran Muthusamy: It’s incredible, honestly. It’s my first SA20 victory, so I’m absolutely thrilled. I even said to Patrick that now I finally know what it feels like - it’s sensational. It’s been a huge team effort throughout the tournament, with different guys standing up in different moments, and that’s really what we’ve based our success on. From the start, we knew the bowling attack would be a massive part of this group, so we sat down, planned our roles clearly, and everyone understood what was required. I’m just incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be part of this franchise and this group - it’s been fantastic.

Marco Jansen: Sharing the new ball with Anrich is unbelievable. Knowing you’ve got someone who can clock 150 clicks is a massive weapon, and batters really don’t want to face him. He’s shown throughout the competition that he’s a world-class bowler. From a domestic player’s point of view, this tournament forces you to get better with every game and every opportunity, and it gives you a chance to put your name forward for other leagues and for the Proteas as well. The standard here is very high, and that’s huge for South African cricket.

Jonny Bairstow: Pretty amazing. A huge credit to the guys and how calm they stayed. I’m pretty sure everyone watching in the stadium thought we’d left it too late, but wow - two really special knocks from Stubber (Stubbs) and Matt (Breetzke) there. We’ve been involved in a couple of close finals before, probably a bit too close for comfort this one, but it’s an amazing competition. A massive thank you to the crowd and supporters, not just here in Cape Town at St George’s but all over the country - you really do make this competition so special. Adrian’s got a special touch, hasn’t he? He’s brought a group together that genuinely enjoy each other’s company, we’ve spent a lot of time together over the last month and that bonding is so important. It’s been great fun, it really has been, and huge credit to every single lad - the guys who played, the guys who didn’t, and the entire backroom staff.

Anrich Nortje: Unbelievable, really. To finally get a win in South Africa with such an incredible team makes it even more special. It’s great playing for a franchise back home, and the support has been unbelievable all season. The fans have backed us so well, so to get over the line and do it with this group is really special. It’s been a lot of hard work to keep the pace up - finding what clicks, what works, and building that rhythm step by step. This competition has been a really good build-up, and I’m very happy with where it’s at right now.

Lutho Sipamla: It honestly feels out of this world. I don’t think words can explain how I’m feeling right now. To be part of this team - I didn’t start the tournament, came in a bit later, but to play a crucial role and contribute when it mattered most means a lot. It’s an amazing feeling. Coming into a successful side does bring expectations, but I’m really proud. I had a great coaching staff, a great group of teammates, and even when I wasn’t playing, it was about preparing every game - putting in the overs, bowling yorkers, slower balls, bouncers, doing the work. The backing from everyone made it so much easier to come in and just do my job. Today was a massive final, broadcast all around the world, but the message was simple - don’t change anything, just do the basics as well as possible. If you build the occasion up too much, it can get to you, so I tried not to. And special mention to the skipper — unbelievable to pull it off in a final like this. Matthew was superb in how he carried the innings, but Stubbs was outstanding. Credit to them.

Jordan Hermann: I think, our head coach, has done a great job bringing the right personalities, talent, and experience together to create something special. It’s been tested and proven over four seasons now, and it’s been brilliant.

Matthew Breetzke: Really special to be home and playing again in front of the Orange Army - it was awesome. Of course, we wish we could’ve played at home, but to play in front of this crowd was really special, and to score that fifty in the final made it an even more special occasion. Everything started here for me, and the environment has been incredible. I’m going to go extremely hard tonight (talking about the celebrations). I think there were a lot of people doubting us during that chase, so I can’t wait.