Paarl Royals have become the first team to qualify for the SA20 2025 playoffs with an 11-run win over Pretoria Capitals by "just doing the simple things well", according to local hero Bjorn Fortuin. The left-arm spinner, who is from the Boland, has played all his franchise T20 cricket for teams based at this venue, and understands the secret to success is being able to slow things down.
"We've played here quite a bit now, so I've sort of tailored a lot of my game plan towards playing in conditions like this," Fortuin had said after Royals' win over Joburg Super Kings earlier this week. "I wouldn't quite call it subcontinent conditions, but it definitely lends itself towards that type of game plan.
"Keeping things simple is a big part of doing well here. In the past, we've had quite explosive players. Sometimes they come off, sometimes they don't. This season, there's been a lot more consistency, and playing well at home contributes to that."
The Boland, 50 kms inland from Cape Town, is hot and dry in peak summer, and the surfaces get more difficult for run-scoring as the season grows long. Saturday's pitch, which was slow and low, was a perfect example of that. Fortuin has spent his early domestic career here and has played five years of T20 franchise cricket for teams based in Paarl: two years with Paarl Rocks in the now-defunct Mzansi Super League, and three in the SA20. He has adapted his game for exactly these conditions, particularly with the new ball.
Fortuin is often used in the powerplay to put the pressure on upfront and usually also make a few crucial incisions. Across the three seasons of SA20, Fortuin's economy rate of 6.08 in the powerplay is the best among bowlers who have delivered at least 15 overs in that phase. His 20 wickets in the same period is the joint most with Marco Jansen. It includes the likes of Quinton de Kock, Dewald Brevis and Ryan Rickelton (all twice); Devon Conway, Faf du Plessis, Kyle Mayers and Kusal Mendis; and on Saturday, the destructive Afghan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
In another country, Fortuin's record and reputation might see him walk straight into the national squad. But the presence of Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi means he plays infrequently for South Africa, and has also missed out on the Champions Trophy squad. Fortuin said the snub is "not something I can comment on right now" as he focuses on SA20 success, where Royals have set the pace, particularly with their spinners.
This season, Fortuin has been joined by offspinners Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Joe Root, and left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage. Between them, they are dominating every bowling stat in the competition so far. Mujeeb is currently the joint-leading wicket-taker in the tournament, while Wellalage and Fortuin have the two lowest economy rates. Root has bowled 16 overs thus far - perhaps more than he expected to - and on Saturday, Royals added legspinner Nqaba Peter in the first all-spin attack in a T20 in South Africa.
Their tactics caught Pretoria Capitals by surprise and helped Royals achieve the second-lowest successful defense in SA20 history.
"Looking at their team, we were trying to find the seamers when we saw the line-up," Rilee Rossouw, Capitals' captain, said. "It's definitely something different. It's something that we are not so accustomed to, especially here in South Africa. Credit also has to go to their bowlers and how they went about their business."
That statement might apply to the tournament as a whole. Royals have only lost one game so far - to their neighbours MI Cape Town - and have won all four at home. This is the third successive season that Royals have made it to the knockout stage, but have yet to make a final. And they will be wary of dropping form at the business end, as they have done in the past.
In 2023, they won five of their first eight matches, and then lost two of the last three. Last year, after only losing only one of their first six matches, they finished on a five-match losing streak, including defeat in the knockouts.
"So we won't count our chickens too early," Fortuin said. "The past two seasons, we've had good starts and then sort of fallen away towards the back end. So we'll take it game by game."
The real test will be how they adapt to conditions up country, where three of the four playoffs - including the final - will be played, and the spinners will have less of an impact. Royals have Lungi Ngidi and Kwena Maphaka in their line-up, but neither have played the last two matches (and word from the team camp is that there are no niggles). There are also the likes of Andile Phehlukwayo, Codi Yusuf, Dayyan Galiem and Keith Dudgeon. They will have confidence from beating Capitals at SuperSport Park, and completing the highest successful chase of the SA20 earlier this season, and will travel to Johannesburg next week before the playoffs.
There, Royals coach Trevor Penney expects his seam attack, and specifically Ngidi, who has not played for the last three matches, to step up.
"We've got the balance. We've got the seamers that are ready to jump in," Penney said. "With Lungi, we know big fast bowlers like him, they sometimes needed a couple of weeks to get back into that full flow and the rhythm. It's a tough thing for fast bowlers. He was out [with a groin injury] for like eight weeks. So he's on a programme where he's almost back now. So we played him in the first few games so he could get some game time. And I'm sure when we go to the Highveld, he's going to be straight back in."
Before that, Royals will sign off from Paarl with a match against Durban's Super Giants on Monday in a goodbye to a crowd that has ridden the wave of their winning streak.
"They're very passionate. The nice thing is that they're actually quite knowledgeable as well, so they appreciate small bits of cricket here and there," Fortuin said. "You certainly hear it when you're not doing well, which is a bit of extra motivation as well. The vibe here is incredible. And in the future, I do hope that we can play games here at the back end of the tournament. It would be quite cool to eventually have a home final if something like that happens."
With a capacity of 10,000, Boland Park is the smallest of the SA20 venues, and has yet to host a playoff game.
Stats inputs from Sampath Bandarupalli