After a difficult season by his own high standards, last year's leading run-scorer made the most of an early reprieve when Dan Worrall dropped him before he had scored. Pretorius began cautiously, allowing Proteas wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne to set the early tempo.
Verreynne raced to 30 from just 15 balls in a lively 39-run opening stand before he was bowled by Nandre Burger. From that point, Pretorius took control of the innings, finding his rhythm with a mix of clean striking and smart placement.
The left-hander struck five sixes and two fours in an entertaining 51 from 34 deliveries. Just as he looked set for a bigger score, he was run out by Matthew de Villiers, but the damage had already been done.
Paarl Royals kept the pressure on through the middle overs. Stand-in captain Dan Lawrence made a brisk 36 off 23 balls, Sikandar Raza added 35 from 19, and Asa Tribe stepped up in place of the injured David Miller with an unbeaten 30 from 16 balls. Their combined effort lifted the Royals to an imposing 210 for five.
Joburg Super Kings were always chasing the game. Missing injured senior batters Faf du Plessis, Rilee Rossouw and Donovan Ferreira, their young line-up struggled to handle the occasion.
Former Super Kings bowler Hardus Viljoen led the Royals' attack with three wickets for 24, while Bjorn Fortuin and Ottneil Baartman provided solid support. The Super Kings slipped to 40 for four early on and never fully recovered.
Captain James Vince fought back with 47 from 29 balls, sharing a 58-run stand with Wiaan Mulder, who made 41, but the required rate remained out of reach.
The Royals now move on to Qualifier 2, where they will face Sunrisers Eastern Cape at the Wanderers on Friday evening for a place in Sunday's final at Newlands against Pretoria Capitals.
Scoreboard
Paarl Royals 210/5
Pretorius 51, Lawrence 36, Raza 35
Mulder 2/45
Joburg Super Kings 174/8
Vince 47, Mulder 41
Viljoen 3/24, Baartman 2/49
Paarl Royals won by 36 runs
A commanding display from Pretoria Capitals' young stars Dewald Brevis and Bryce Parsons propelled the team into their second SA20 final, as they overcame Sunrisers Eastern Cape by seven wickets at Kingsmead, Durban, on Wednesday night.
A resurgent Joburg Super Kings defeated Paarls Royals by 45 runs on Monday night to reach the top four of the 2026 SA20.
Joburg Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming says all it will take is one big performance for them to make the SA20 playoffs.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape produced a clinical display in Gqeberha on Sunday to seal a seven-wicket win over MI Cape Town, a result that secured a top-two finish for the hosts and ended the defending champions' hopes of rmaking the SA20 play-offs.
