First team to bowl 20 overs of spin in franchise T20 cricket

During an SA20 match between Paarl Royals and Pretoria Capitals (both South Africa) on 25 January 2025, the Royals created franchise T20 history by using spin bowlers for all 20 of their allotted overs. Five spinners – Bjorn Fortuin, Dunith Wellalage, Mujeeb Uh Rahman, Nqaba Peter and Joe Root – each bowled four overs at Boland Park, with the home side successfully defending a score of 140 for 4 as the Capitals subsided to 129 for 7.

Paarl Royals were captained by South Africa international David Miller and also included homegrown talent Lhuan-dre Pretorius and former India international Dinesh Karthik in their ranks. Under head coach Trevor Penney, the spin-heavy Royals finished second to MI Cape Town after the league stage of Season 3 of the SA20, eventually bowing out of the tournament to Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the play-offs on 6 February 2025.

Only twice before had a side delivered 20 overs of spin in a professional T20 match: the Lankan Cricket Club in 2019, matched by Malaysia at the delayed 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in October 2023.