Lions look strong as semis approach

The Momentum Multiply Titans are in danger of an embarrassing collapse that may cost them a shot at winning the first domestic trophy of the 2026-27 season.

After dominating the opening group stage, winning their first six matches, and setting batting records, the Proteas-laden Titans face a must-win clash against the Hollywood Bets Dolphins, to keep alive their hopes in the Pro20 Cup.

Donovan Ferreira’s team haven’t won any of their last three matches. They tied against Boland in their last group stage fixture - eventually losing in a double super over in Paarl - and then got ambushed by the South Western Districts in their first Super Eight phase match in Oudtshoorn, followed by a 19-run defeat to their provincial neighbours the DP World Lions at the Wanderers last Sunday.

It has left the Titans fifth on the Super Eights log, outside of the semifinal places with two matches to play. Where they and the Lions, who topped their first round group, may have expected to cruise to the semis, ahead the final week of the tournament, the Titans find themselves in a scrap with five other teams for two spots.

Their bowling has been inconsistent, but at a stage in the competition where the playoffs come into view, the lack of runs from star batter, Dewald Brevis, is concerning.

Brevis made a pair of half-centuries against the SA Emerging Squad and Easterns, but against the top tier teams, his returns have been limited. In four matches against Division 1 teams, he’s not reached double figures and in his last three innings, he’s scored 3,5 and 4.

For a batter that is chasing a middle order spot in the Proteas squad for next year’s World Cup it’s a bad time to be experiencing a slump .

Brevis has batted at no.3 throughout the tournament as Titans coach Rivash Gobind seeks to give him as much time at the crease as possible allowing him time to control the innings. But he hasn’t grasped the opportunity yet. Brevis and Gobind will hope that the young tyro is saving his best when it matters most, like he did in last season’s SA20, where - in the last three matches for the Pretoria Capitals - he made two fifties followed by a century in the final.

The Dolphins, who the Titans host on Sunday, are among the group of five chasing those two semifinal spots. The KZN side lost their first Super Eight match to Boland, and their match on Tuesday against Western Province was rained out, leaving them on the brink of elimination.

The Lions appear to have clicked, scoring back-to-back totals of 200 or more in their last two matches, thanks to a century from Neil Timmers against Easterns followed by Conor Esterhuizen’s unbeaten 98 against the Titans.

The Lions can seal their semifinal spot by beating WP at Newlands on Saturday. While other teams have relied on one player for runs - like Lhuan-dre Pretorius for the Titans and Janneman Malan at SWD - the Lions have three players in the competition’s top 10 run-scorers, including Esterhuizen, Zubayr Hamza, who was recently called up to the Proteas Test squad and Rassie van der Dussen, who has made over 250 runs in six innings, but not once passed 50.