Vince century knocks Dockers out as Guardians chase 189 in Dublin

Dublin, 17 September 2026: James Vince produced a commanding unbeaten century as Dublin Guardians chased down 189 with an over to spare to defeat Rotterdam Dockers by five wickets in the European T20 Premier League at Malahide on Thursday.

Vince struck an unbeaten 106 from 61 balls, including 10 fours and five sixes, as the Guardians reached 192 for five in 19 overs and ended Rotterdam’s hopes of progressing to the knockout stage.

The result proved costly for the Dockers, who finished the league stage level on 13 points with Edinburgh Castle Rockers, Amsterdam Flames and Belfast Wolves but missed out because of their inferior net run rate.

Earlier, Heinrich Klaasen had appeared to put Rotterdam in a strong position with an unbeaten 85 from only 41 deliveries, lifting the Dockers to 188 for five from their 20 overs.

Rotterdam made a rapid start through Colin Munro, who struck 20 from eight balls, but Dublin removed him in the third over before Michael Levitt and Shubham Ranjane fell cheaply.

That left the Dockers 54 for three in the seventh over before Klaasen joined captain Faf du Plessis to rebuild the innings.

Du Plessis played the supporting role in a 70-run fourth-wicket partnership, making 42 from 37 balls, while Klaasen gradually took control. After reaching his half-century from 30 deliveries, the South African accelerated sharply through the closing overs.

David Wiese added 23 from 16 balls as Rotterdam scored 64 runs from their final five overs. Klaasen finished with nine fours and four sixes as the Dockers set Dublin a challenging target of 189.

Peter Hatzoglou was the most economical of the Guardians bowlers, conceding only 20 runs from his four overs and taking one wicket, while David Willey claimed two for 45.

Dublin’s chase could hardly have started worse when Willey was bowled by Wiese for a duck in the opening over, but Vince immediately took control.

He and captain Harry Tector transformed the chase during a 100-run second-wicket partnership, taking the Guardians to 74 for one by the end of the powerplay.

Vince raced to his half-century from just 21 balls, hitting six fours and four sixes, while Tector contributed 29 from 20 before Roelof van der Merwe broke the partnership with the score at 101.

Rotterdam briefly opened the door when Ben Calitz departed for three, but Vince remained composed. Sanjay Krishnamurthi kept the required rate under control with 24 from 17 balls as Dublin moved past 150 in the 15th over.

Vince reached his century from 56 deliveries and continued to dictate the chase despite the wickets of Krishnamurthi and Noah Croes.

With only six required from the final two overs, George Dockrell struck a six during his unbeaten seven from four balls as the Guardians completed the chase at 192 for five after 19 overs.

Wiese and Ranjane finished with two wickets each for Rotterdam, but there was no stopping Vince, whose innings ensured Dublin finished their campaign with a second victory from 10 matches.

The result brought an extraordinary finish to the league stage, with Edinburgh Castle Rockers, Amsterdam Flames, Belfast Wolves and Rotterdam Dockers all finishing on 13 points from 10 matches. Net run rate separated the four sides: Edinburgh finished top at +1.208, ahead of Amsterdam at +1.037 and Belfast at +0.602, while Rotterdam’s -0.024 left them fourth and outside the knockout places.

Edinburgh advanced directly to the final, while Amsterdam and Belfast will meet in the qualifier on Saturday for the remaining place in the title match. Dublin Guardians and Glasgow Cosmic finished with four points each. The tournament now has only two matches remaining — the qualifier and the final, with the winner of Amsterdam-Belfast facing Edinburgh on Sunday.

Scores in brief:

Dublin Guardians won by five wickets with six balls remaining

Rotterdam Dockers 188-5 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 85 not out, Faf du Plessis 42, David Wiese 23; David Willey 2-45, Peter Hatzoglou 1-20)

Dublin Guardians 192-5 in 19 overs (James Vince 106 not out, Harry Tector 29, Sanjay Krishnamurthi 24; Shubham Ranjane 2-28, David Wiese 2-32)

Player of the Match: James Vince (Dublin Guardians)