Paarl Royals endured a night to forget after being dismissed for just 49 runs, the lowest total ever recorded in SA20 history. The shocking collapse came against Sunrisers Eastern Cape and immediately set social media buzzing, with fans drawing comparisons to Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s infamous batting failure in the IPL.
Historic Low at Boland Park
The ignominious record was registered during the third match of the ongoing fourth season of SA20 on Saturday, December 27, at Boland Park in Paarl. Chasing a target of 187, the David Miller-led side crumbled to 49 all out in just 11.5 overs, suffering a massive 137-run defeat.
Only Two Batters Reach Double Figures
Asa Tribe, who scored 14, and Kyle Verreynne, with 11, were the only Paarl Royals batters to reach double digits. The rest of the lineup failed to offer any resistance, leaving the home crowd stunned by a dismal batting display.
Nortje Leads Ruthless Bowling Display
Sunrisers Eastern Cape pacer Anrich Nortje spearheaded the demolition with figures of 4 for 13, ripping through the Royals’ batting order. Paarl lost their final five wickets for just three runs. Nortje received excellent support from Adam Milne, who returned figures of 2 for 7, and Tharindu Rathnayake, who also picked up two wickets for nine runs.
Fans Draw Parallels With RCB’s 2017 Collapse
As soon as Paarl Royals were bowled out for 49, fans on social media were quick to compare the collapse with Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s infamous outing in the 2017 Indian Premier League against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Revisiting RCB’s Infamous Night
In that IPL match, RCB were chasing a modest target of 132 when their star-studded batting lineup, featuring Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, collapsed spectacularly. They were bowled out for 49 in just 9.4 overs. None of the batters reached double figures, with Kedar Jadhav top-scoring with nine runs off seven balls.
The Virat Kohli-led side lost their final five wickets for only nine runs against a dominant KKR bowling attack. Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Woakes and Colin de Grandhomme picked up three wickets each, while Umesh Yadav contributed with one wicket.
Adam Milne’s Unique Connection
Interestingly, Adam Milne was linked to both collapses. He was part of the RCB squad in 2017 but did not play that match. In 2025, however, he played a key role for Sunrisers Eastern Cape, claiming two wickets to spark Paarl Royals’ downfall.
A Record No Team Wants
The defeat added to RCB’s struggles in the 2017 IPL season, which saw them finish last on the points table with just three wins from 14 matches and seven points overall.
Despite the embarrassment, neither Paarl Royals nor RCB hold the record for the lowest score in franchise T20 cricket. Their totals are joint third on the unwanted list, which is topped by Sydney Thunder, who were bowled out for just 15 runs in the 2022 Big Bash League.
Check Internet Reactions
New 49 Gang
Paarl Royals paid tribute to RCB https://t.co/3QjuezHu66 pic.twitter.com/VAIQuCJs8A
— Karthik (@ZoomHunterZ) December 28, 2025
49 Meets 49.
A team named Royal got all out on 49 while chasing. https://t.co/6EZdN4uv4Y pic.twitter.com/qTdzmvOuuI
— AkCricTalks (@AKCricTalks) December 28, 2025
Yesterday @paarlroyals got all-out for 49. In a fact that @AdamMilne19 has been part of both the 49 allouts in #IPL as well as #SA20 . While in the #RCB squad he was in bench but yesterday he was one of the reasons #PR achieved this feat. pic.twitter.com/IDgEI1eSeo— Saktiswarup Nayak (@SaktiswarupN) December 28, 2025
About the Author
