Junior tips Mamelodi Sundowns to reclaim Betway Premiership crown ahead of Orlando Pirates and AmaZulu

Mamelodi Sundowns have been backed to wrestle back the Betway Premiership title from Orlando Pirates in 2026-27 by iDiski TV analyst Junior Khanye, who has predicted the Brazilians will finish ahead of Pirates and AmaZulu in next season’s standings.

Sundowns ended last term without a domestic trophy, surrendering the league to Pirates in a title race that went down to the final day. They finished second on 68 points, just one behind Pirates, but did lift a second continental crown in the CAF Champions League.

Khanye believes that combination of continental success and squad depth makes Sundowns favourites to return to the summit of South African football, despite the emotional and footballing impact of midfielder Jayden Adams’ death during the off-season.

“Number one is Mamelodi Sundowns,” said Khanye on iDiski TV.

“If they were able to win the Champions League, why won’t they do the same with the Betway Premiership? I believe the Champions League is harder than the Betway Premiership. They are a very strong team unfortunately they lost Jayden Adams who was among the best three midfielders there.”

The former Kaizer Chiefs winger argued that Sundowns’ existing options give them enough quality to cope with the loss of Adams while maintaining their domestic and continental standards.

“There’s Marcelo Allende who has also been scoring, there’s also [Sphelele] Mkhulise who deserves a chance to play. Jayden was a diamond and may his soul rest in peace. I also wish the players will switch on because it will be a bit difficult for them, their mind-set. They have a strong team and players that can fill in Jayden’s position. They also have goal scorers.”

Pirates tipped for second after treble and Mofokeng exit

Orlando Pirates head into the new campaign as defending champions after claiming a historic treble last season – their first in 14 years. However, Khanye does not see them retaining top spot, largely because of the departure of one of their standout performers.

Relebohile Mofokeng, who played a central role in that treble-winning campaign, has left for the Belgian Pro League following an award-winning season, and Khanye believes his influence will be difficult to replace.

“Pirates will finish second because they lost an influent player, gifted and carried the team [Relebohile Mofokeng],” he added.

“Not to say others didn’t contribute but the boy decided a lot of games. He contributed a lot to the treble. I saw they brought in the likes of Ghampani Lungu, [Neo] Rapoo and others but I don’t think they will be able to fill those shoes. Losing the boy is big. I don’t see them pushing Sundowns again.”

Khanye also feels Sundowns’ latest continental triumph has shifted the psychological balance between the two clubs by matching Pirates’ star on their badge.

“Sundowns has now put Pirates under pressure by winning the star because Pirates’ only star was won in 1995. Pirates will have to choose to either defend their domestic trophies or sacrifice them.”

AmaZulu backed to build on progress under Zwane

Khanye’s predicted top three is completed by AmaZulu, with the analyst confident that coach Arthur Zwane can guide Usuthu to further improvement after an encouraging previous campaign.

“AmaZulu will finish third; Arthur Zwane did very well last season,” said Khanye.

“He was a bit unsettled in the beginning but as time went his team became very strong. Pule Ekstein played a major role there, an experienced player he’s settled there, he has a lot of support, and the coach believes in him.

“The team looked strong with experienced and new players but the coach needs to fix how easy they were conceding. I have seen the signings they have made now. So for me AmaZulu will finish third because they didn’t play badly last season and I think they will be even better this season.”

Khanye’s full set of predictions for the 2026-27 Betway Premiership campaign is available on the official iDiski TV YouTube channel.