PR vs SEC Dream11 prediction: 3 differentials you could pick in today’s SA20 match – February 2, 2024
The Paarl Royals (PR) and the Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) face off in the 27th match of SA20 2024 on Friday, February 2, at Boland Park in Paarl.
The Royals play following a much-needed five-day break after suffering back-to-back defeats by huge margins against the Durban's Supergiants. While they managed to hold on to second place for some time, SEC's facile win against the Joburg Super Kings (JSK) moved them up to second. The Royals need to win their last two matches to ensure they finish in the top two and have a cushion in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Sunrisers can guarantee a top-two finish with a win here, and must be filled with confidence after their crushing nine-wicket win against JSK. With this being the first of the two meetings between these two teams, it'll be interesting to see how this clash goes.
On that note, let's look at the top three Dream11 differentials from this match.
#3 Beyers Swanepoel (ALL) (SEC)
Beyers Swanepoel replaced Ottniel Baartman in SEC's playing XI in the last match, and he's likely to retain that spot for this match. Swanepoel had a big part to play in the Sunrisers' demolition of JSK as he picked up two wickets, one of which was that of the in-form Leus du Plooy that truly began the procession of wickets from the Super Kings.
Swanepoel is a bowling all-rounder who can hit the ball a long way, and that could see him get promoted up the order during the death. If Baartman isn't back in the XI, Swanepoel should play the same role the former does in the side and operate predominantly in the death overs.
While he could leak runs, he's very likely to pick up wickets, and with such a low ownership, he's a powerful Dream11 differential.
#2 Tabraiz Shamsi (BOWL) (PR)
Left-arm leg-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi continues to have inadequate ownership despite putting in solid performances in this edition of the SA20. Shamsi bowled a tight spell of 2/20 in four overs against the Durban's Supergiants in a match where they scored 208, and that shows how he's a class apart, especially on surfaces that support spinners.
He has eight wickets in as many matches at an economy rate of 6.96, and on what should be a spin-friendly surface, he is an excellent Dream11 differential to include in your teams.
#1 Liam Dawson (BOWL) (SEC)
The SEC pace bowlers have grabbed all the headlines this season, whether it was about their rout of the Pretoria Capitals a couple of weeks ago or their more recent clean-up act against JSK. However, their spinners should definitely have a say on the outcome of this match, with Paarl being one of the more spinner-friendly venues this season.
Dawson, despite being economical, hasn't delivered much from a Dream11 point of view due to a lack of opportunities with both the bat and the ball. However, his all-round efforts in the three-run defeat to the Pretoria Capitals showed his points potential at the right venue, and this certainly is one.
He's an accurate bowler who should provide plenty of control with the ball for SEC. Against a stuttering Paarl batting lineup, there's a good chance he picks up a couple of wickets, while also contributing with the bat.