The Central Gauteng Lions beat the Northerns Titans by seven wickets in the first playoff qualifier on Tuesday to book their place in the T20 Challenge final.
After winning the toss at the Wanderers, the Lions opted to bowl first, a decision that paid off handsomely as spinner Nqaba Peter (4-15) and quick Kwena Maphaka (3-11) skittled the Titans for 115 in 19.2 overs.
Dayyaan Galiem provided some resistance for the visitors with a well-fought 44 off 39 balls, while Donovan Ferreira made 21 off 18.
In response, the Lions’ experienced batsmen made the chase look effortless.
Reeza Hendricks led the charge with a fluent 61 off 43 balls, while Rassie van der Dussen remained unbeaten on 40* off 34 as the defending champions needed just 16 overs to reach their target.
Playoffs:
Qualifier 1: Lions beat Titans by seven wickets
Eliminator: Wednesday, 23 October (18:00): Dragons vs WP, Wanderers
Qualifier 2: Friday, 25 October (18:00), Titans vs TBC
Final: Sunday, 27 October (14:00), Lions vs TBC
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
