SA20 2023 Semi Final 1: Pretoria Capitals vs Paarl Royals| Fantasy Tips and Teams

image-ldvfduf7Pretoria Capitals (Source: Twitter)

The SA20 has reached its business end. It is the first semi-final of the inaugural edition of the tournament and Pretoria Capitals and Paarl Royals are going to be the two teams in the match. The match will be taking place on 8th February 2023 at 9:00 PM at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. The Pretoria Capitals have been the team to contain within this tournament. They won seven of their 10 matches in the league stage and finished at the top of the table. Meanwhile, Paarl Royals have had a rocky ride in the tournament. They won four of their 10 matches and finished at number four in the points table. Still, they managed to edge out Durban's Super Giants on net run rate and make it to the final four. 

So, the two teams will be battling out to become the first finalist of the inaugural edition of SA20. Before the match goes live let us look at some important stats, the prime player picks and the best-predicted elevens for the fantasy contests of the match. 


Ground Stats: The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

The pitch at the Wanderers has been a sporty one. The bounce on the deck has been true enough for the batters to find their way and the bowlers have also exploited it to the best of their abilities. 

Numbers at the ground (This Tournament)

Total Matches: 4

Matches won batting first: 3
Matches won batting second: 1

Average score batting first: 174
Average score batting second: 148

Average runs per over: 9.40
Average runs per wicket: 23


PRE vs PRL, Semifinal: Head-to-Head

As it is the inaugural edition of the tournament, the two teams have played against each other twice before this match. The two teams have shared the laurels so far and both of them would like to better their record in this match. 

Head-to-Head (Overall)

Total Matches: 2

Pretoria Capitals won: 1
Paarl Royals won: 1


PRE vs PRL, Semifinal: Probable Final 13s

Pretoria Capitals Team News

No major updates

Pretoria Capitals Probable Final 13

Phil Salt (wk), Kusal Mendis, Theunis de Bruyn, Rilee Rossouw, Colin Ingram, James Neesham, Senuran Muthusamy, Wayne Parnell (c), Eathan Bosch, Daryn Dupavillon, Joshua Little, Shane Dadswell, Migael Pretorius


Paarl Royals Team News

No major updates

Paarl Royals Probable Final 13

Jason Roy, Jos Buttler (wk), Wihan Lubbe, Dane Vilas, David Miller (c), Evan Jones, Mitchell Van Buuren, Andile Phehlukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Obed McCoy, Imran Manack


PRE vs PRL, Semifinal: Top Five Picks

  1. Jos Buttler (PRL): Jos Buttler has been in decent form in this tournament. He has been very consistent and has given his team some solid starts. This makes Buttler a must-pick for the match. 
  2. Kusal Mendis (PRE):  The Sri Lankan batter has been in fine form in this tournament. He has given the Capitals some flying starts and they will hope that the same continues in this match. Mendis can be a very impactful batter and hence is a must-pick for the match. 
  3. Bjorn Fortuin (PRL): Bjorn Fortuin has been the prime weapon for the Royals with the ball, especially in the middle overs.  He is expected to play a major in this match and will be the very crucial pick for fantasy XIs. 
  4. Anrich Nortje (PRE): The South African speedster has been in a lethal form. He has picked up wickets for the team in both the initial stages and in the death overs. This makes Nortje a prime pick for the match. 
  5. Philip Salt (PRE): Phil Salt has been in good form while opening the innings for the team. He is looking in good striking form and can be a crucial player in the match. 

PRE vs PRL, Semifinal: Must picks for the match

Pretoria Capitals

  1. Phil Salt - 208 runs in 8 matches
  2. Kusal Mendis - 195 runs in 5 matches
  3. Anrich Nortje - 16 wickets in 9 matches

Paarl Royals

  1. Jos Buttler - 378 runs in 10 matches
  2. Bjorn Fortuin - 13 wickets in 10 matches
  3. David Miller - 196 runs in 10 matches

PRE vs PRL, Semifinal: Risky Picks

Pretoria Capitals - Theunis de Bruyn, Eathan Bosch

Paarl Royals - Lungi Ngidi, Jason Roy


PRE vs PRL, Semifinal: Best Captain and vice-captain choices

  1. Jos Buttler (PRL)
  2. Anrich Nortje (PRE)
  3. Bjorn Fortuin (PRL)

PRE vs PRL, Semifinal: Team for Head-to-Head Contests

Wicketkeepers: Kusal Mendis, Jos Buttler
Batters: Rilee Rossouw, Mitchell van Buuren, David Miller
All-rounders: Jimmy Neesham, Senuram Muthusamy
Bowlers: Adil Rashid, Bjorn Fortuin, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje

Captain: Jos Buttler
Vice-captain: Jimmy Neesham

PRE: 6 Players, PRL: 5 Players



PRE vs PRL, Semifinal: Team for Winner takes all Contests

Wicketkeepers: Jos Buttler, Phil Salt
Batters: Paul Stirling, Rilee Rossouw, Jason Roy
All-rounders: Jimmy Neesham, Shane Dadswell, Evan Jones
Bowlers: Adil Rashid, Bjorn Fortuin, Anrich Nortje

Captain: Jason Roy
Vice-captain: Rilee Rossouw

PRE: 6 Players, PRL: 5 Players

Also Read: PC vs PR: Pretoria Capitals strengthen their hold on top spot in SA20 League