Paarl Royals assistant coach Richard das Neves has expressed confidence in his team's preparations ahead of their play-off encounter against MI Cape Town on Tuesday at 5.30pm.
Since securing their qualification, the Royals have been focused on this crucial match, eager to return to form after facing setbacks in their recent games.
Royals, however, have suffered two consecutive defeats, the latest being a distressing 48-run loss to the Sunrisers Eastern Cape — one of their lower points in the competition thus far.
Paarl, who finishing the group stages in second place, are determined to bounce back. Against SEC, they were set a target of 149 runs but faltered dramatically, bowled out for just 100 runs in 18.2 overs. Despite the lack of victories in their last two matches, Das Neves remained optimistic.
“You never go into a game expecting to lose; we can talk about momentum and all those things. However, we have earned the right to trial a couple of different approaches and combinations,” Das Neves stated.
“The schedule has worked out nicely so that we can stay here in Gqeberha ahead of the play-off game, which gives us time for recovery.”
Looking back on the last two games, he emphasised, “We tried a couple of combinations aiming for the upcoming match, so we won’t dwell too much on the results but rather on what we were attempting to accomplish.”
However, the Royals must contend with the absence of key players, including batting stalwart Joe Root, who has departed the competition to join England’s ODI squad in India. There are also concerns over David Miller, who is a doubt for the match following a niggle sustained against the Durban Super Giants.
Although Das Neves could not confirm Miller’s availability, he remains hopeful about the captain's recovery.
“I can’t confirm if he will play in the next game; I can’t confirm anything, but we are hopeful of having our skipper back. He has carried a niggle from a couple of weeks ago,” Das Neves remarked, underscoring the impact the absence of both players could have on the Royals’ batting order.
“You can’t replace a player like Root, but senior players must step up to fill the void along with the rest of the group.”
Das Neves noted the strategic importance of the play-offs, reminiscent of the Indian Premier League structure, emphasising that the teams finishing first or second have historically performed well in these high-pressure situations.
“MI Cape Town has a solid team, but we are confident that if we execute our plans — drawing on our batting and bowling depth — we can triumph over anyone on our day,” he asserted.