Tristan Stubbs looked a touch dazed after Sunrisers Eastern Cape wrapped up a six-wicket win over Pretoria Capitals in Sunday’s SA20 final. “So stoked. Can’t explain it,” he admitted. “I don’t know what we did or how we did it, but just so much like we actually did it type thing. It was pretty awesome.”
The scoreboard says the Sunrisers chased 159 with four balls to spare. Anyone who watched the first half of the reply knows it felt a lot further away when the champions were marooned on 48 for 4 midway through the ninth over. Stubbs, captain for the first time this season, walked out to join Matthew Breetzke and the pair never separated. Their unbroken 114-run stand – 65 balls, plenty of twos, the odd swipe into the seats – nudged the holders to a third title in four campaigns.
“We know we bat so well together, and we kept looking for an over to just get momentum,” Stubbs said. “Fortunately, that only came in the 16th [17th] over. Then we just ran with it from there. Funny things happen under pressure.”
They certainly did. With 56 needed from 24 balls, Breetzke switched gears against Lizaad Williams – three clean fours – before both hitters clubbed 21 off the 18th over to all but settle it. By the time Stubbs scurried the winning runs, the dug-out looked equal parts relieved and bemused; the skipper insisted he and Breetzke were “calm but we were probably panicking too”.
Stubbs has been on the Sunrisers’ books since season one, yet the leadership duties were brand new in 2026. He credits a senior core – notably Quinton de Kock – for easing the load. “I’ve really enjoyed this month,” he said. “I’ve had a great group to work with. We’ve planned really well for games. The bowlers are really experienced, so it’s been easy. Me and Quinny [Quinton de Kock] have had this great thing going where we channelled a lot of the bowling changes. It’s been a whole team effort. The senior players have been awesome. It’s awesome to finish like this.”
De Kock, who back-tracked on his ODI retirement last September, finished the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 390 in 11 knocks. He also left Newlands with the Player of the Tournament gong and a grin almost as wide as Stubbs’. “My two-year retirement did me well,” he said. “I am happy to be back and happy to be playing cricket for my country, supporting everyone, and scoring as many runs as I can.
“After the auction, we knew we had a great team on and off the field. Great bunch of boys, and we fought really hard for this trophy. Some of the youngsters showed some big grit. We saw today that it is hard to play those sort of innings in a final, and they did it, and I am very happy for them.”
For Pretoria, it was familiar frustration. They topped the group, beat the Sunrisers in Qualifier 1, yet stumbled when the silverware was on the line. Captain Keshav Maharaj called it as he felt it: “It has been a topsy-turvy season, but we feel the hurt of coming so close, yet so far. It’s a could’ve, should’ve, would’ve type of situation. The boys will hurt for a bit. This just proves that T20 cricket you can never take for granted. It’s not over till it’s over. I am not someone who dwel…” His unfinished sentence told its own story.
From a tactical angle, the Capitals might revisit the death-over plan. An extra slower-ball option, perhaps, or more orthodox yorkers? Bowling coach Alfonso Thomas hinted at as much during the innings break but, ultimately, a single loose over was enough for the door to swing open. Stubbs and Breetzke charged straight through it.
Sunrisers’ triumph also underlines how important settled squads are in a tournament still finding its feet. They kept the bulk of last year’s core, added a pinch of experience at the auction, and backed new faces in clear roles. It sounds obvious; in franchise cricket it is easier said than done.
There were quieter heroes too. Ottniel Baartman’s new-ball spell (2 for 26) removed both set openers; Liam Dawson’s left-arm darts cost only 24 from four overs; and Marco Jansen, often used as a shock bowler, chipped in with the wicket of Colin Ingram just as the Capitals eyed a late surge. None of that will headline the highlights package, yet without it the late chase might have been steeper than even Stubbs could manage.
Still, finals are remembered for the decisive moments, and on this wet-edge-of-your-seat Cape Town evening the decisive moments belonged to two 25-year-olds who kept their nerve while most around them fidgeted. Stubbs summed it up best – if a little breathlessly – minutes after the trophy lift: “Don’t know what we did or how we did it, but we did it.”
