Garden Route Badgers Reach CSA T20 Eliminator Stage
Garden Route Badgers Men – Head Coach: Lotle Sesele
21/11/2025
The Garden Route Badgers enter a crucial week as they progress to the elimination stage of the Cricket South Africa Division 2 Twenty20 Challenge.
The team concluded the preliminary round in third position with 14 points, behind the Knights, who topped the log with 20 points, and Eastern Cape Iinyathi, who finished second with 19 points.
In their match last Wednesday at the Rec Ground, the Badgers lost by six wickets in a high-scoring encounter against the Eastern Storm. Batting first, the Badgers posted 176/6, with notable contributions from Yaseen Valli (42), George van Heerden (32), and Liam Alder (32). The Eastern Storm successfully chased down the target, reaching 179/4 in 19.1 overs—the highest successful run chase by a team batting second in the competition. Jade Richter (2/26) and Kyle Jacobs (2/41) led the bowling efforts for the Badgers.
Their final pool fixture, scheduled for Saturday against the Knights in Bloemfontein, was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to persistent rain.
The Badgers will next face the Mpumalanga Rhinos in the first eliminator on Wednesday at 1 pm at the REC Cricket Stadium. The winner of that match will play again on Friday, 21 November, against the loser of the first qualifier between the Knights and Eastern Cape Iinyathi, set for Tuesday in Bloemfontein. The winner of the qualifier in Bloemfontein will secure the right to host the final.
The final is scheduled for Sunday, 23 November, and will take place in either Bloemfontein or East London. (Courtesy of Die Hoorn)