Pretorius, Viljoen lead the way as Royals knock out JSK

Paarl Royals 210 for 5 (Pretorius 51, Lawrence 36, Raza 35) beat Joburg Super Kings 174 for 8 (Vince 47, Viljoen 3-24) by 36 runs

A clinical team performance from Paarl Royals booked their spot in Qualifier 2, as they dispatched Joburg Super Kings by 36 runs in Centurion on Thursday. Royals will now play Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the second qualifier, with the winner booking a berth in Sunday's final against Pretoria Capitals.

Royals' victory was built on the back of a strong batting effort, as their top and middle order pitched in with handy knocks. Opener Kyle Verreynne set the tone, blazing a 15-ball 30, before he was bowled by Nandre Burger in the fourth over. Lhuan-dre Pretorius, however, kept the momentum going, as he stroked his way to 51 off 34 balls, with two fours and five sixes. JSK would've been hoping for a break after getting rid of Pretorius, but Dan Lawrence (35) and Sikandar Raza (35) both kept the boundaries flowing, putting Royals in sight of a 200-plus total. The final flourish came from No.6 Asa Tribe, who tonked three fours and a six at the death, and helped set JSK a target of 211.

JSK needed a strong start to keep their campaign alive, but three early wickets completely deflated their chase, as Hardus Viljoen and Bjorn Fortuin took out their top order. James Vince and Wiaan Mulder provided a brief resistance with a 58-run stand for the fifth wicket, but once Vince was bowled by Nqobani Mokoena for 47, Royals held all the cards. Some late fireworks from Akeal Hossein (20 off 9) and Duan Jansen (18 off 12) kept JSK hoping beyond hope, but Royals eventually held out for a comfortable victory.