NEW DELHI: Paarl Royals continued defending champions MI Cape Town’s miserable run in the fourth edition of the SA20 with a commanding seven wicket victory on Sunday.

Having gone winless in their previous four matches, MI needed a turnaround but their performance showed little urgency as they were bundled out for a paltry 88.

The Royals sealed third place on the points table by chasing down the target in just 13 overs.

They now sit on 12 points from four matches, trailing only Joburg Super Kings and Sunrisers Eastern Cape.

On a Newlands surface that offered plenty of help to the bowlers, 19 year old pacer Nqobani Mokoena (2/10) and the experienced Ottneil Baartman (2/8) tore through MI’s top order.

Spinner Sikandar Raza (4/13), playing his first SA20 match, extracted sharp bounce with his off spin to claim four wickets and completely shut the door on any late resistance from MI.

When Mokoena struck MI opener Ryan Rickelton on the ribs with a sharp short ball, it became clear that the bowlers were set to dominate, and that proved to be the case throughout the innings.

Rickelton and opening partner Rassie van der Dussen were both guilty of attempting pull shots against Mokoena and Raza despite having little room to play them safely.

Former West Indies batsman Nicholas Pooran (17) and South Africa batsman Reeza Hendricks (18) attempted to steady the innings.

However, their third wicket stand of 24 runs came at a sluggish pace, taking close to six overs and failing to shift the momentum.

Once Pooran was dismissed by a superb running catch from wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne off Baartman, MI collapsed dramatically, losing their last six wickets for just 33 runs.

The Royals’ chase also began with a brief scare as veteran Trent Boult struck in the opening over to bowl Lhuan dre Pretorius.

But youngster Asa Tribe (34) and experienced Rubin Hermann (18) batted sensibly, adding 54 runs for the second wicket to keep the Royals firmly on track.

Boult, Kagiso Rabada, Corbin Bosch and Afghanistan star Rashid Khan bowled with heart, but the target was far too small to spark even the faintest hope of a miracle.

(With PTI Inputs)