Jordan Hermann and Tony de Zorzi lead the Sunrisers Eastern Cape to their third straight SA20 final, continuing their pursuit of a hat trick of championships.

De Zorzi, who only joined the Sunrisers late in the Season 3 campaign as a replacement for the injured Patrick Kruger, gave an innings to remember on a warm night at Centurion, marking the first time the Sunrisers top order had found their groove.

With eight wickets remaining, the Sunrisers easily defeated the Royals’ 175/4 thanks to a stroke-filled 78 off only 49 balls from the Proteas batsman, who demonstrated his international quality.

During the incredible 111-run partnership for the second wicket with De Zorzi, which crushed the Royals’ morale and the back of the run chase, fellow left-hander Jordan Hermann performed his role flawlessly.

With an undefeated score of 69 from 48 balls, Hermann finished the job in fine fashion.

Rubin Hermann had previously set up the Royals’ innings with 81 not out off 53 balls, so it was undoubtedly a memorable night for the Hermann brothers.

Together, Rubin and Lhuan-dre Pretorius, the top-scoring batsman in the league (59 off 41 balls), put 99 runs off 64 balls for the second Royals wicket. In the tournament, it was Pretorius’ third half-century.

A daring Andile Phehlukwayo (22 not out off 11 balls) gave the Royals even more momentum towards the conclusion of their innings.

However, as they secured their now-repeated spot in the SA20 Final, the evening belonged to the guys in orange.