SEC win 3rd SA20 title as Breetzke and Stubbs take them home after virtually bringing them back from the dead.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) defeated Pretoria Capitals (PC) by six wickets at Newlands to claim a third SA20 championship in four years. Dewald Brevis’ 101, the lone-hand for PC, who only scored 158, was defeated by a 114-run undefeated fifth-wicket partnership between Matthew Breetzke and Tristan Stubbs, both of whom went on to strike half-centuries.
When PC reduced SEC to 48 for 4 in the ninth over and drove the needed run-rate to soar to 14 runs per over by the conclusion of the 16th, they had one hand on the trophy in the tightest of the four finals played thus far. However, in the closing exchanges, Breetzke and Stubbs gave the SEC a record stand to seal an unforgettable victory, prying PC’s fingers off.
On 45, Breetzke started the assault by lofting Lizaad Williams over mid-off for a boundary off the second ball of Williams’ last over. Stubbs hit Williams over extra cover and returned the strike after he gave it to him. Breetzke took 14 runs off Williams by finishing the over with a four through square leg, bringing the total number of runs required from the final three overs down to 42.
After four leg byes at the start of the 18th over, Stubbs reverse-swept Gideon Peters over short third for four. Peters then bowled a wide and a no-ball, and the free hit went for six. The SEC required 21 from the previous two, and his exceeding cost 21. With four balls remaining, Stubbs finished the match with back-to-back sixes after Lungi Ngidi’s final over cost twelve.
Given that Stubbs struggled for form during 2025 and was called up to South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad, his performance was very noteworthy. His first half-century in 51 innings in the format since his 76 against the West Indies in August 2024 was his 63 not out.
All things considered, the SEC had another successful season, maintaining their habit of making it to the finals and hiring quality players. With 390 runs, Quinton de Kock, their newest recruit, finished as the top run scorer, while Anrich Nortje, another newcomer, took the second most wickets. With 13 wickets this season, SEC regular Marco Jansen is now one wicket behind Ottneil Baartman as the SA20’s most successful bowler. He demonstrated his superiority with a standout performance in the final.