Lions won the CSA T20 Challenge to add a second trophy to their cabinet this season, after also winning the first-class competition. Their latest triumph came two days before the announcement of South Africa's T20 World Cup squad.
Several Lions players are in the running for South Africa's provisional squad, most notably batters Ryan Rickelton and Reeza Hendricks, who were the second and third-highest run-scorers in the tournament.
Hendricks was the hero of the final by scoring a 52-ball unbeaten 73 to anchor a successful chase of 166. His half-century was his fourth of the campaign, and saw him finish a run behind Rickelton on the run charts.
On a mild autumn afternoon, Lions chose to bowl at the home ground and had Dolphins in huge trouble at 103 for 6 in the 15th over. Jason Smith scored his first fifty of the campaign and shared in a 57-run seventh-wicket stand with Eathan Bosch to push Dolphins to a competitive score. Crucially, Smith scored 24 runs off legspinner Nqabayomzi Peter's final over, to mark the first time in the competition he had conceded more than 30 runs. Peter finished as the second-highest wicket-taker with 20 at an average of 9.50, one behind Siya Simetu and Beyers Swanepoel, and two more than his captain, Bjorn Fortuin.
Left-arm spinner Fortuin could also come into South Africa's T20 World Cup plans, especially after the way he led Lions in this tournament. He took 2 for 24 in the final and maintained an economy rate of 5.85 across their 16 matches. His consistency mirrored that of Lions, who won 10 of their 14 group matches and the right to host a home semi and final.
Still, when Rickelton was dismissed in the powerplay for 18, Rassie van der Dussen followed shortly after for 6 and when former national captain Temba Bavuma went for 7, they may have been concerned. Hendricks and Wiaan Mulder put on 85 for the fourth wicket and Mulder brought up his first half-century of the tournament to take Lions to victory.