Paarl didn't start the fire, but the SA20 world is turning

The fourth edition of the SA20 has seen a dramatic start to 2026. In the first 10 days, the tournament witnessed its first-ever tie and super over, a one-run win, its highest individual innings, its first hat-trick, and three more no-results—the most in a single season. And then there was the fire.

At Boland Park on Saturday, third-placed Paarl Royals faced fourth-placed Pretoria Capitals. A distant mountain fire near Franschhoek sent smoke toward the ground, with temperatures hitting 38°C. Yet thousands of fans in bright pink filled the stands.

Pretoria struggled to 74/6 in the 12th over but recovered to 138/9. Paarl then labored to 117/6 on a sluggish pitch. During Paarl’s chase, a fire broke out in the grassy parking lot just west of the ground. Spectators turned from the cricket to watch flames leap meters into the sky, only 20 meters away, as firefighters quickly contained the blaze.

Paarl assistant coach Richard das Neves noted, "We did notice the fire. We were scrambling for DLS in case we had to get off the field. But if there’s anywhere in the world where firefighters know what they’re doing, it’s here." Pretoria’s Keshav Maharaj said, "A fire in the parking lot? Wow! There was a lot of smoke out there, so I assumed it was that."

Beyond the on-field drama, broader questions loom over SA20. All six franchises are based in the north or coastal areas, excluding much of the country’s interior until at least 2028. Expansion could bring teams like Royal Challengers Bloemfontein in the future. Meanwhile, with the IPL franchise owners’ agreements expiring in 2033 and reports that part-owners SuperSport and Sundar Raman may sell their stakes, the league’s long-term stature faces uncertainty.

Recent matches have added to the turbulence:

• On New Year’s Day at the Wanderers, Durban’s Super Giants tied Joburg Super Kings at 205 runs each. Joburg won the super over emphatically.
• In Paarl, Lhuan-dre Pretorius’s 98 off 65 balls led Royals to 181/3; Ottneil Baartman and Sikandar Raza shared seven wickets to restrict Mumbai Indians Cape Town to 180/8.
• A Saturday double-header in Johannesburg and Centurion was washed out without a toss.
• At Newlands, Raza’s 4/13 helped bundle Cape Town out for 88; Paarl won by seven wickets with seven overs left.
• At Kingsmead, Shai Hope’s record 118* off 69 balls powered Pretoria to 201/4. Jos Buttler’s 97* wasn’t enough as Durban fell 15 runs short, with Lungi Ngidi taking a hat-trick.
• At the Wanderers, a floodlight failure and lightning allowed only Joburg’s innings against Paarl to be completed.

From fires to washouts, hat-tricks to ties, the SA20 is living in interesting times.