Sunrisers Eastern Cape superstar Marco Jansen won’t have any more space on his mantelpiece before long.

Jansen is collecting awards at the conclusion of almost every competition, with the all-rounder winning both the SA20 Player of the Season and Bowler of the Season for 2025 on Saturday evening at the Wanderers.

The 24-year-old won the Rising Star Award last season and is the current CSA Men’s Player of the Year.

“All my trophies are on my TV cabinet at the moment, but no, I’m just really pleased with the awards,” Jansen told SA20.

“Yeah, obviously we didn’t win the final, but for me personally, I still feel really well about my game. I think the performances I gave [this season] were a lot more consistent.”

Jansen is certainly fully deserving of both awards. The all-rounder was excellent with the ball throughout, topping the wicket-takers charts with 19 at an average of 18.42, while he also contributed 204 runs at a strike rate of 125.1.

The satisfaction of producing these excellent results are even sweeter for Jansen after he missed virtually the entire international winter season to undergo a 12-month conditioning programme. ​

It was designed to build Jansen’s strength and fitness for him to operate at peak performance during the latter part of the summer.

“I am a bit tired, but physically I still feel good. I did have one or two niggles, but our physio helped me with that. But all in all, I still feel really strong,” Jansen said.

“It means that all the hard work I’ve put in, that off-period I had, those three months, whatever work I did, helped and contributed to this.”

Jansen’s heroics with bat and ball were not enough to drive the Sunrisers to a championship three-peat but watching the 2.06m fast bowler charge in with the new ball during the powerplay was certainly one of the highlights of the competition.

“I’m really pleased with having struck a lot in the powerplay, which is my goal or which is my job. I felt I bowled well this season,” he said.

“Obviously the new ball is probably the best chance to get a wicket because the ball is swinging, the ball is nipping, the wicket is fresh. The batters, they’re just getting in, so they have to play, they have to look at the ball, they have to see, they have to react.

“I think mentality-wise, I try to take a wicket every single ball. And then depending on whether the ball swings or not, I just try and adapt from that.

“If the ball nips, then I try to bowl a bit straighter. If the ball swings, I’ll try to bowl more full-stump lines, and then just take it from there.”

2025 SA20 award winners

Player of the Season: Marco Jansen (Sunrisers Eastern Cape)
Batsman of the Season: Lhuan-dre Pretorius (Paarl Royals)
Bowler of the Season: Marco Jansen (Sunrisers Eastern Cape)
Rising Star: Dewald Brevis (MI Cape Town)
Dispatch of the Season: Donovan Ferreira (Joburg Super Kings)
Catch of the Season: Dewald Brevis (MI Cape Town)

Photo: Sportzpics/Shaun Roy

MI Cape Town were crowned SA20 champions after defeating the two-time title winners in the Wanderers final.

Photo: Shaun Roy/Sportzpics

MI Cape Town spearhead Kagiso Rabada delivered an inspired performance with the ball to lead his team to their maiden SA20 title at a sold-out Wanderers on Saturday.

Rabada claimed 4-25 to dismiss the Sunrisers Eastern Cape for just 105 in response to MI Cape Town’s 181-8.

The fast bowler also claimed a brilliant diving catch at point to send Sunrisers skipper Aiden Markram back to the dugout at critical juncture to swing the game into MI Cape Town’s favour.

Rabada was ably supported by the MI Cape Town spinners George Linde (2-20) and Rashid Khan (1-19).

Having won the toss and elected to bat, MI Cape Town announced their intent from the outset with Ryan Rickelton racing to 33 off 15 balls (one four, four sixes) to lift his team to 51 within the first five overs.

Rickelton fell soon after, though, deceived by a slower ball from Craig Overton, and was followed shortly thereafter by Reeza Hendricks (nought) as MI Cape Town closed out the powerplay on 52-2 – the highest total conceded by the Sunrisers Eastern Cape at the six-over mark across the competition.

Rickelton also passed Durban’s Super Giants’ Heinrich Klaasen as the leading run-scorer in SA20 history with 1,012 runs across the three editions.

The Sunrisers kept chipping away with the further wicket of Rassie van der Dussen (23 off 25 balls), who fell just four runs shy of passing the competition’s leading run-scorer Lhuan-dre Pretorius.

MI Cape Town regained their composure through a couple of middle-order partnerships with the 50 runs off just 30 balls between Dewald Brevis (38 off 18 balls) and Connor Esterhuizen (39 off 26) proving pivotal in getting Robin Peterson’s team up to a winning total.

HIGHLIGHTS: SA20 final – MI Cape Town vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape

The Sunrisers needed a strong start to give them a chance, but their struggles with the bat in the powerplay continued with David Bedingham and Jordan Hermann both back in the dugout with only eight runs on the board.

Abell and Tony de Zorzi battled hard to rebuild the innings with a 57-run partnership for the third wicket.

But they fell within three runs of each other to Linde and Rashid respectively to leave the Sunrisers precariously placed on 68-4.

And when Markram followed shortly afterwards, the Sunrisers’ reign as two-time SA20 champions was drawing to a close with Rabada providing the coup de grace for MI Cape Town.

Photo: Ron Gaunt/Sportzpics

MI Cape Town cruised to a 76-run win against defending champions the Sunrisers Eastern Cape.

The 2025 SA20 is set for an epic conclusion with double defending champions the Sunrisers Eastern Cape and MI Cape Town meeting in the final on Saturday.

The iconic Wanderers in Johannesburg, which hosted the inaugural SA20 final, will once again provide the backdrop for the grand occasion, which is set to get underway at 5:30pm.

The Sunrisers have recovered from inconsistent performances during the league stage to hit peak form during the playoffs by winning both the eliminator playoff and second qualifier playoff to secure their third successive place in the SA20 showpiece.

MI Cape Town will be tasting the rarefied finals air for the first time after being the dominant side during the league stage with Rashid Khan’s team setting a new record of 35 points.

They maintained that momentum through to the first playoff qualifier where they breezed past the Paarl Royals on Tuesday to secure a straight passage to the final.

The Sunrisers have the benefit of having experienced the unique Bullring atmosphere before, when they lifted the SA20 trophy for the first time back in 2023.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Sunrisers captain Aiden Markram said. “Apparently it’s been sold out weeks ago already, so already the hype will be there. For players, that’s really cool. Not just myself, I think all the boys are really keen.

“We love playing in front of full stadiums and the atmosphere at Wanderers when it’s full is almost like no other. I’m looking forward to that. It’s always a special occasion – a final at Wanderers.”

MI Cape Town will be hoping to halt the Sunrisers’ bid to win a hat-trick of titles with captain Rashid Khan believing their amazing journey that started from the very bottom is destined to end in success.

“We were the team at the bottom for two years, now we’re the team at the top,” Rashid said. “We have been playing some amazing cricket for the last month.

“Yes, they have a good experience being finalists the last three years, but I think for us, we’ll be just focusing on playing good cricket and focusing on what we did great in the last month that got us here.

“The best thing is to beat the opposition team with your own skills, make sure whatever the challenge is, we accept that and do well in that.”

The final is shaping up as a battle between the MI Cape Town’s batting unit up against the potent Sunrisers Eastern Cape bowling attack.

MI Cape Town’s explosive opening pair of Rassie van der Dussen (second with 370 runs) and Ryan Rickelton (fourth with 303 runs) along with Dewald Brevis (ninth with 253 runs) are all among the top 10 run-getters in the competition.

The Sunrisers, meanwhile, have four bowlers in Marco Jansen (first with 17 wickets), Liam Dawson (fifth with 12 wickets), Richard Gleeson (seventh with 12 wickets ) and Ottneil Baartman (eighth with 11 wickets) among the top 10 wicket-takers.

“We’ll back our best options, our best bowlers, match-ups and things like that, and hopefully that can work and give us a shot at breaking that partnership,” Markram said. “But they’ve been finding ways to score big, whether the two of them fire or not.

“So, the whole batting lineup for them is doing really well and we’ll have to do some good planning for them. And ultimately on the night, if we can execute it, then I think we give ourselves a good shot.”

Photo: Shaun Roy/Sportzpics

Tony de Zorzi and Jordan Hermann helped back-to-back SA20 champions the Sunrisers Eastern Cape qualify for a third successive final.

Photo: Shaun Roy/Sportzpics

Tony de Zorzi and Jordan Hermann propelled the Sunrisers Eastern Cape into their third successive SA20 final to maintain their push for a hat-trick of titles.

The Sunrisers’ top order finally found their rhythm with De Zorzi, having only joined the franchise late into their campaign as a replacement for the injured Patrick Kruger, delivering an innings to remember on a balmy night in Centurion.

The Proteas batsman showed his international class with a stroke-filled 78 off just 49 balls (11 fours, two sixes) that helped the Sunrisers cruise past the Royals’ 175-4 with eight wickets to spare.

“It’s very, very cool. It hasn’t set in yet. I am really grateful to [Sunrisers captain] Aiden [Markram] for giving me this opportunity,” De Zorzi said.

“It wasn’t warranted but I am glad I could repay. I was a bit surprised I was playing but really happy that I got a chance.”

Fellow left-hander Jordan Hermann played his part to perfection during the superb 111-run partnership for the second wicket with De Zorzi that broke both the back of the run chase and the Royals’ spirits.

Hermann completed the job in style finishing unbeaten on 69 off 48 balls (four fours, four sixes).

HIGHLIGHTS: Paarl Royals vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SA20)

“Another good night. We are getting there, happy to restrict them. Good to see guys firing, all coming into place now,” said Markram. “It’s a big lift for the guys. It’s nice for them to experience this on such a good big stage.”

It certainly was a special night for the Hermann brothers with Rubin Hermann earlier setting up the Royals’ innings with 81* off 53 balls.

Rubin batted superbly in tandem with the competition’s leading-run Lhuan-dre Pretorius (59 off 41 balls) as the pair added 99 runs off 64 balls for the second Royals wicket.

It was Pretorius’ third half-century of the competition.

The Royals were provided further impetus towards the backend of their innings by a swashbuckling Andile Phehlukwayo (22* off 11 balls).

But the night belonged to the men in orange as they booked their now perennial place in the SA20 final.

“We lost the last four games but really proud of the unit,” said Royals captain David Miller. “We had some really outstanding performances. We had great team spirit. A sad situation to end like this but it is what it is. All the best to Sunrisers.”

Photo: Shaun Roy/Sportzpics

The Sunrisers Eastern Cape beat the Paarl Royals by eight wickets in the second qualifier playoff in Centurion.

Sunrisers Eastern Cape captain Aiden Markram says his team will start at “zero” when they face the Paarl Royals in the second qualifier playoff in Centurion on Thursday.

The double defending champions kept their hat-trick title bid alive when they defeated the Joburg Super Kings by 32 runs in the eliminator playoff at the same venue on Wednesday.

HIGHLIGHTS: Sunrisers Eastern Cape vs Joburg Super Kings (SA20)

The Royals, meanwhile, have had to travel up to the Highveld after losing to MI Cape Town at St George’s Park in the first playoff qualifier on Tuesday.

It was David Miller’s team’s third loss in succession since becoming the first side to qualify for the playoffs almost two weeks ago. ​

The Sunrisers, meanwhile, have recovered from back-to-back defeats to win three games in succession to now sit just one game away from a third successive SA20 final.

The momentum is clearly with the Sunrisers, but Markram feels that counts for nothing in what will be his team’s sixth knockout match across three seasons. ​ ​

“I don’t think we’ve been particularly great this competition. So, we’re chasing and trying to play that perfect game,” Markram said.

“I know it’s probably never, ever going to happen, but that’s sort of what we’re striving for. And we trust that if we’re able to get close to that, then whatever the result might be, you sleep a lot better at night. So, that’s sort of what we’re chasing and where our focus is at.

“I’m sure the guys in the sheds are happy about that, that we’ve backed our previous game up, especially at a venue where it can be difficult to defend.

“We defended well as a team and managed to get the results. So, yeah, hopefully the run can continue, but [on Thursday] we start fresh, and we all start on zero again.”

FEATURE: Herman family living SA20 dream

Paarl Royals all-rounder Dayyaan Galiem believes his team is capable of upsetting the Sunrisers despite having lost their last three matches.

“We’ve played good cricket over the last few weeks, so, we’re pretty confident,” he said. “We’re pretty happy with where we are. The team is still in a good space.”

Galiem also feels that the Royals have plenty of local knowledge about Centurion which will aid their cause on Thursday.

“Pretoria is a special place to me. Obviously, I play most of my cricket there as well. So, a few of us know the conditions well,” Galiem said.

“One of our coaching staff [Richard das Neves] also is the head coach of the Titans, which is based at that stadium. So, we’ll definitely come together, see what we can find about night games.

“And definitely try to favour those decisions we do make, whether it’s extra seamer, extra spinner, whatever we look to do.

“I think what is important for us is to start off well and bring the intensity. I think we’re the type of team that when we have brought our intensity, we’ve done really well.”

Photo: Shaun Roy/Sportzpics

The Hermann family will be split straight down the middle when the Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Paarl Royals meet in Thursday’s second qualifier playoff in Centurion.

The winner will face MI Cape Town in the Wanderers final on Saturday.

Jordan has, of course, already won the SA20 title twice with the Sunrisers.

But this season their sports-crazed father, Marius, has had to split his supporters jersey in two halves – one painted in orange for Jordan and the other pink for Rubin.

“My dad has a Sunrisers side and a Paarl Royals side, so he’s the happiest man on earth at the moment. It’s a massive pride,” Jordan said after the Sunrisers beat the Royals at St George’s Park in the league stage.

“It’s almost a dream come true, two brothers coming together and playing together. It’s quite fairytale-esque. Yeah, it is quite the fairytale.”

Rubin added: “Like Jordan said, our full circle came around. We’ve tried our best for him not to wear that shirt, to be honest. It’s a bit embarrassing … but he’s a stubborn man.

“He’s living his dream right now. I think he’s thrown a lot of balls at us, so he’s actually just plucking the fruits of his labour from the back garden and nets at our house as well.

“We have to let him be, because he is quite a passionate man. Because when he sets his mind to something, it won’t be stopped. So yeah, that shirt will be out every single time.”

Rubin that has been a revelation for the Royals in the No 3 position. The 28-year-old has struck two half-centuries and made solid contributions throughout and is playing an integral role for the Royals in the playoffs after Joe Root was called up for international duty.

“I’ve said for the past two seasons … I’m OK … but my brother’s definitely better than me,” Jordan said. “I’m glad he’s backed me up. I think I’m more nervous for his performance than my own.”

Jordan, though, enjoyed a timely return to form against the Royals with a half-century at St George’s Park.

“He always seems to score runs against me as well, even domestically. He loves scoring runs against the Dragons.

“I think he’s already got a 99 and now 50 against me this season, so … I hate playing against him because he always scores runs, but also very nice to see as well.”

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