Caribbean Premier League 2021 News

We will have a new winner in this edition of the Caribbean Premier League after St Lucia Kings defeated the defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders in the 1st semi-final by 21 runs. It was a resounding all-round showing by the Kings against a formidable opponent. While they were tested till the very end in the bowling department, the batsmen had actually given a cushion to the bowlers which resulted in their victory despite the bowlers faltering on occasions. The target of 206 was always going to be a tall ask for the Knight Riders. However if one team could chase this total down, it would have surely been TKR. It wasn’t the ideal start for the defending champions as they lost the flamboyant opener, Lendl Simmons, in the final delivery of the first over. Despite the initial wicket, the St Lucia bowlers came under some stick against two powerful left-handed batsmen in the form of Sunil Narine and Colin Munro. Sending Narine up the order was a clear indication that TKR wanted a brisk start and it was provided by both Narine and Munro. A partnership of 76 runs laid the foundation for the run-chase but it was the 8th over bowled by David Weise which totally changed the complexion of the match. The medium-pacer accounted for both the batsmen in the same over to put the brakes on the run chase. TKR needed to shift the momentum quickly and it was Darren Bravo and Kieron Pollard who broke the shackles and got TKR back into the game. The duo shared a 41 runs stand before Bravo departed. Pollard kept them in the hunt with his belligerent strokeplay but his dismissal effectively tilted the scales totally in favour of St Lucia Kings. There were a few blows here and there but the target proved to be way too much in the end as they eventually fell 21 runs short. Earlier in the day, it was Andre Fletcher, the Lucia Kings skipper who won the toss and opted to bat. It wasn’t the greatest of starts for the Kings as they lost Rahkeem Cornwall in the very first over. However, it was a sensational counter-attacking knock from Mark Deyal which got them off to a flier. While Deyal was making a mockery of the bowling attack with his delectable strokeplay, Fletcher was having a hard time at the other end. He was unable to time any from the middle but still managed to share a 73 runs stand with Deyal where his contribution was only 4 of 14 deliveries. Roston Chase joined Deyal in the crease and the duo continued the blitz. Deyal smashed his way to 78 of 44 deliveries before perishing to Sunil Narine in his second spell. Despite the wicket of the in-form batsman, it was Chase and David Weise who then took the onus on themselves to keep the momentum going. The much needed late impetus to the innings was provided by Tim David and Weise. Both went on a power-hitting spree and kept clobbering the TKR bowlers all around the park. David yet again displayed his tremendous bottom hand power remaining unbeaten on 38 of 17 deliveries which included a four and four sixes. At the other end, Weise remained undefeated on 34 of 21 deliveries which was studded with a four and 4 sixes as they reached a big score of 205 in their allotted 20 overs.

Guyana Amazon Warriors will be up against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots on Wednesday in the second semi-final of the CPL 2021 in St Kitts. The Warriors ended the league stage at number two position after beating Jamaica Tallawahs in their last respective game. Patriots on the other side who had been in some form in the competition suffered a defeat in their last match against Trinbago Knight Riders and were pushed to number three spot in the points table. Though, both the sides that will be locking horns in the second semi-final match ended the league fixtures with the same number of wins and points but the Warriors had a better run-rate. Guyana are coming into this game on the back of a win against Jamaica after their bowlers rattled the Tallawahs batting line up and bundled them out for 128 while defending a target of 143. But the Warriors too struggled with the bat initially and it was Romario Shepherd who first chipped in with an unbeaten 72 off 31 and then scalped three wickets during the course to script a brilliant win for his side. The Guyana side needs to make some tweaks with their batting line up and the middle-order needs to be among some runs in the all important semi-final against SKNP. The Patriots on the other hand also struggled with their batting in the last match and were restricted to 147/7 in 20 overs. Later, the bowlers did try to restrict the opposition but TKR skipper Kieron Pollard took the game away from them after he notched up a 22-ball 51. Nevertheless, with the likes of Chris Gayle, Rutherford, Bravo in the line up, the Patriots do have some superb stroke players who can turn the game on its head on the give day. Rutherford had been in good touch for the team in the initial part of the tournament and the SKNP team management would want him to get back in the groove. Match Details Match: Guyana Amazon Warriors vs St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, CPL 2021 2nd semi-final Date: September 14, Tuesday Venue: Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts Telecast: Star Sports Network Pitch Report The track might have something on offer for the bowlers, especially spinners in the initial part of the game. So, if you win the toss, elect to bowl first. Probable XI GAW: Brandon King, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shimron Hetmyer, Shoaib Malik, Nicholas Pooran (c), Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Anthony Bramble (wk), Gudakesh Motie, Naveen-ul-Haq, Imran Tahir SKNP: Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, Joshua Da Silva(wk), Jonathan Carter, Sherfane Rutherford, Dwayne Bravo ( c ), Fabian Allen, Dominic Drakes, Jon Russ-Jaggesar, Sheldon Cottrell, Paul van Meekeran Fantasy XI Pooran, Hemraj, King, Lewis, Gayle, Rutherford (VC), Smith, Drakes, Tahir (C), Shepherd, Ahmed

Trinbago Knight Riders etched a win against Patriots in their last league match to seal the top spot in the Caribbean Premier League points table on Monday, September 13 and will now take on Saint Lucia Kings in the first semi-final of the CPL 2021 slated to take place on Tuesday in St Kitts. Trinbago rode on captain Kieron Pollard’s masterclass with the bat after he struck a 22-ball 51 to help the side chase down a target of 148 runs in 20 overs. Apart from Pollard, Isuru Udana also chipped in with some runs after he scored 25* off 16 to see the side home. The TKR batting looks stable at the moment barring some hiccups that they faced during the chase against the Patriots. The Knight Riders’ batting unit comprises some prominent names like Lendl Simmons, Tim Seifert and Colin Munro in the ranks. While Simmons and Munro can provide a steady start to the proceedings up the order, Seifert, Darren Bravo and Pollard will have the onus on themselves to capitalise on it. In the bowling department, Ali Khan was on song against the SKNP after he bagged a three-for at the cost of just 19 in the allotted 4 overs. Apart from him, the TKR team has the services of Udana and experienced campaigner Ravi Rampaul in fast bowling while Sunil Narine and Akeal Hosein jeer up the spin department. The side looks pretty balanced at the moment and would be riding high on confidence after the win in their last encounter. The Kings on the other hand are coming into this game after suffering a defeat in their final league match against Barbados Royals. The Royals’ batsmen Kyle Mayers and Glenn Phillips hammered the Saint Lucia bowlers all around the park and helped the side win the match by 8 wickets after chasing down a stiff target of 191 runs with more than an over to spare. While Mayers remained unbeaten at a 62-ball 81, Phillips unleashed a brutal knock and scored 80* in just 39 deliveries that included nine maximums. Apart from Jeavor Royal, all the Kings bowlers were hit for runs and it was only Roston Chase who was able to pick up a wicket. Well, the Kings were without their regular captain Faf du Plessis as he was carrying a groin injury and missed the fixture. The Saint Lucia side would be hoping that he returns back to play the all-important semi-final clash. While the Saint Lucia bowlers were hammered for runs, the side still had some positives to take away from this game. The batting unit, especially the top-order was among runs and the side eventually posted 190/6 in 20 overs. Chase has been in good form for the Kings in this competition and the team management would be banking on him to continue with what he has been doing. Match Details Match: Trinbago Knight Riders vs Saint Lucia Kings, CPL 2021 Date: September 14, 2021 (Tuesday) Time: 7:30 PM (IST) Venue: Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts TV: Star Sports Network Pitch Report The pitch can assist the batsmen during the clash between Trinbago Knight Riders and Saint Lucia Kings. So, if you win the toss, elect to bat first and try to put up a good total on the board. Probable XI Trinbago Knight Riders: Lendl Simmons, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Colin Munro, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard (c), Tim Seifert, Isuru Udana, Akeal Hosein, Jayden Seales, Ali Khan, Ravi Rampaul Saint Lucia Kings: Andre Fletcher (wk), Rahkeem Cornwall, Faf du Plessis (c), Roston Chase, Tim David, Samit Patel, David Wiese, Keemo Paul, Wahab Riaz, Alzarri Joseph, Jeavor Royal Fantasy XI Andre Fletcher (wk), Lendl Simmons, du Plessis, Colin Munro, Sunil Narine, Isuru Udana, Kieron Pollard (VC), Roston Chase (C), Rahkeem Cornwall, David Wiese, Jeavor Royal

Trinbago Knight Riders ended the league stage of the CPL 2021 on a positive note after beating St Kitts and Nevis Patriots by 4 wickets as they chased down a target of 148 runs in 19 overs to move to the top spot in the points table. TKR, Patriots and Guyana Amazon Warriors have the same number of points and wins under their belt but the Knight Riders are sitting at the helm as they have a better net run-rate. The Warriors follow Trinbago at number two while Patriots and Saint Lucia Kings are at number three and four respectively. TJR started the chase in a steady manner as Lendl Simmons and Denesh Ramdin put 32 runs on the board for the first wicket before Simmons departed for 20 off 17, courtesy a blinder from Fabian Allen. Ramdin was then joined by Colin Munro in the middle but it took the Patriots just 20 runs to two wickets and reduce Trinbago to 52/3. Captain Kieron Pollard who walked in at number five took the onus on himself and struck a fine half-century and provided the resistance to the side. The right-handed eventually departed for a 22-ball 51 when the team scorecard read 115. Later, Isuru Udana held the fort from one end and anchored the side to a win after remaining unbeaten at 25 off 16. Udana’s knock included three maximums. Fawad Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers for the Patriots as he returned with figures of 2/16 in 4 overs. Earlier, SKNP managed to put 147/7 in 20 overs as Joshua Da Silva notched up a half-century while Bravo chipped in with a brisk 25 off 13 during the course. Ali Khan scalped three wickets for Trinbago in the innings. SKNP captain Dwayne Bravo admitted that they needed more runs on the board to defend. “I must say it was a good cricket game, we batted first, we wanted to defend totals, obviously 149 wasn't enough against that batting line-up, happy though that we took it to the 19th over,” he said after the match. TKR will now play Saint Lucia Kings in the first semi-final on Tuesday in St Kitts while Patriots will take on Guyana on Wednesday at the same venue.

Guyana Amazon Warriors ended Jamaica Tallawahs’ campaign in this CPL 2021 after beating them by 14 runs (DLS Method) in a rain-curtailed match. Batting first, the Warriors didn’t have a great start to the innings as they lost wickets at regular intervals and were soon left tottering at 75/7 when Romario Shepherd and Motie joined hands and steadied the ship for the side. Shepherd chipped in with an unbeaten 31-ball 72 which included six sixes to anchor the side to a total of 142/7 in 18 overs. Imad Wasim was the pick of the bowlers for Jamaica after he returned with figures of 3/15 in his allotted 4 overs while Chris Green and Andre Russell picked up a couple of wickets apiece. Later, the Tallawahs never really got into the groove and witnessed a batting collapse to get bowled out for 128 in 17.1 overs. The Jamaican side were reduced to 89/9 before Green struck a quick-fire 31 off 20 but his efforts weren’t enough to take the team over the line. Shepherd and Odean Smith picked up three wickets each for Guyana while Imran Tahir had two scalps to his name. Jamaica skipper Powell admitted that the batting collapse and the failure of the middle-order was a major reason for their defeat in this clash. “I think we got a good start with the ball, we talk about getting right in the first 5-6 overs and I think we did that and at the back-end we kind of strayed a little from our plans. Just a little bit of hope there (last wicket partnership), but the middle-order didn't stand up and if the middle-order don't do well it's always gonna be difficult. Lots of positives for us,” he said after the match.

Barbados Royals etched a consolation win against Saint Lucia Kings to conclude their tournament on a positive note on Sunday. On a batsmen’s day out, the Royals rode on some fine piece of stroke-play from Kyle Mayers and Glenn Phillips to chase down a target of 191 runs in 18.5 overs. The Royals had a decent start to the chase after Mayers and Johnson Charles put 37 runs on the board for the first wicket in 5.1 overs but a couple of quick wickets pushed them on the backfoot. But what unleashed next was simply a masterclass from Mayers and Phillipes as the two provided the much-needed resistance to the side and made sure that there were no further fall of wickets. The two batsmen played in a cautious manner initially and then took on the Kings’ bowling attack to hammer them all around the park. Mayers remained unbeaten at 81 off 62 that included six maximums and five fours while Phillips notched up a 39-ball 80* where he smashed a total of 9 sixes during the course. Both the batters dominated the Kings’ bowling unit thoroughly and took the team over the line. Roston Chase was the only Saint Lucia bowler to scalp a wicket in the innings. Earlier, the Saint Lucia side posted 190/6 in 20 overs after Chase scored a fifty while Cornwall struck a 26-ball 40. Mayers returned with a three-for and Oshane Thomas picked up a couple of wickets for Barbados. Barbados Royals skipper Jason Holder hailed Mayers and Phillips for their batting after the match. “Credit to Kyle and Glenn, outstanding partnership. It was a really good wicket. On this wicket, you aren't quite sure what a good total is. Lots of positives. Everybody had different spirits. It's been a good campaign for few individuals but not good collectively,” he said.