In a hard-fought contest, the Northerns Titans emerged victorious over the Central Gauteng Lions, claiming a thrilling win in the final moments of the game. The KZN Dolphins and Western Province also secured their spots in the T20 Challenge playoffs, with Friday's wins ensuring a nail-biting finish to the season.
The EP Warriors, who had been the dominant force throughout the competition, missed out on the opportunity to reclaim the top spot on the table after suffering their third consecutive loss, this time against the North West Dragons.
The most significant result of the evening occurred in Centurion, where the hosts claimed a two-wicket victory.
In a closely contested match, the Titans won the toss, bowled first, and restricted the Lions to 154-8. This was largely due to the performance of David Wiese (1-22), Lungi Ngidi (2-26), and Dayyaan Galiem (1-20).
Reeza Hendricks (48) was the top scorer for the visitors, with contributions also made by Temba Bavuma (21), Delano Potgieter (21) and Wiaan Mulder (25).
The Titans made a promising start to the chase after openers Rivaldo Moonsamy (24) and Lhuan-dre Pretorius (29) accumulated 49 runs in 5.5 overs. They subsequently faltered when Codi Yusuf (1-25), Evan Jones (2-33), Mulder (1-24) and the impressive rookie Nqaba Peter (2-29) all made significant contributions.
The defending champions were on course for defeat at 135-8 with two overs remaining. Corbin Bosch (19*) and Lungi Ngidi (2 not out) managed to secure the 20 required, including the former taking a bye from the last ball to take the hosts to a priceless win, which helped them retain fourth place on the table.