A comfortable 26-run victory by St Lucia Kings over Antigua & Barbuda Falcons on home turf in Gros Islet saw them keep their 2024 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) campaign on track whilst consigning the Falcons to a sixth defeat in eight appearances in this year’s competition.

The Falcons won the toss and chose to insert the Kings in St Lucia but the home side’s top order started confidently with the bat in hand. Johnson Charles hit five boundaries for his 25 and Ackeem Auguste followed suit with a well made 35 off 28 deliveries after captain Faf du Plessis fell to Chris Green for 14 at the end of the fifth over.

Green was the pick of the bowlers for the Falcons, the Australian’s canny off breaks seeing him snare four top order wickets as the Kings tried to wrestle the initiative and set a commanding target. David Wiese belted four sixes at the close to see the Kings set 152-9 off their 20 overs.

The Falcons top order struggled and were 28-5 at the end of the PowerPlay and it looked as if they were in danger of a heavy defeat. Shamar Springer and captain Chris Green then rebuilt the innings by working the ball into the gaps, albeit the lack of boundaries meant that the Kings were never really put under any pressure defending their total.

Springer was run out just as the harder yards were done and it was time to open the shoulders and pose a late charge, and when Green fell caught by Seifert off Noor Ahmad for 48 off 37 deliveries the match drifted away for good. Khary Pierre was awarded the Player of the Match award for bagging 3-24 with his wily slow left arm, his three quick wickets of Kofi James, Sam Billings and Jahmar Hamilton was a top order gut punch that the Falcons failed to recover from.

The Kings move to second place in the table, Barbados Royals ahead of them on Net Run Rate and with a game in hand whilst the Falcons slip to second bottom and with plenty to do as the competition heads towards the business end.

A confident five-wicket victory with 21 balls remaining by Saint Lucia Kings saw them get their 2024 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) campaign back on track and consign the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots to a sixth straight defeat.

 After starting with a win, the Patriots have struggled and this evening’s defeat at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Gros Islet leaves them relying on other results to go their way if they are to have a chance of progressionust

 Kings captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and inserted the opposition hoping that the ball would skid on and be easier to hit in the second half of the match. The short square boundaries in Gros Islet saw 30 sixes hit in the last match at the ground but the Patriots struggled to clear the ropes in their innings - not until Rilee Rossouw plundered fives sixes did their batting card catch light and gain any real momentum. Captain Andre Fletcher top scoring with 62 off 50 balls to anchor the Patriots to 173-5.

 It wasn’t enough. Du Plessis was brutal in the PowerPlay for the Kings, hitting five fours and the same number of sixes to get the chase off to a breezy start from which his side never looked back. Fellow opener Johnson Charles played a fluent and match winning hand with 74 off 42 balls, falling to Hasaranga only when the target was in single digits.

“It was a very good innings. I would have loved to finish off for the team. Opening with Faf has been good. We feed off each other's energy,” Player of the Match Charles reflected after the match whilst praising the vociferous support of the Kings fans.

“It feels lovely, with the crowd supporting us, even when we lost two. A huge thank you to our supporters.”

It was a difficult night for the Patriots. Captain Andre Fletcher rued his own strike rate after the game had gone. “We started well in the powerplay and I thought we slowed down a bit in the middle. Our strike rate could have been better, especially me. But Rilee played a good knock. We have three more games left. We don't have a choice but to go out there and play cricket. We have to find a way to win. We have been on the losing side for six games and we have to try our best.”

Guyana Amazon Warriors, defending champions of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL), put in a swaggering performance to claim three wins in three games to sit at the head of the standings after ten games of this year’s tournament.

Their opponents, Saint Lucia Kings, suffered their first loss of the 2024 tournament on what for them was a chastening night at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in Gros Islet. A thumping six wicket win with 10 overs to spare was a real statement of intent from the Warriors.

Imran Tahir won the toss and elected to insert the Kings. The defending champions put in another impressive performance with the ball, Tahir claiming 3-29 and Player of the Match Gudakesh Motie taking 3-13 as the Kings failed to recover from a PowerPlay that saw them reduced to 43-4.

Some lower order striking from Matthew Forde managed to haul the Kings to three figures exactly but the Warriors made extremely short work of the target.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz lit up the Saint Lucia sky with sixes as he struck 47 runs off just 19 balls that included not a single four but saw seven sixes clear the ropes.

Gurbaz eventually fell with just nine more runs needed for victory, pinned lbw by Noor Ahmad attempting a reverse-sweep that would have brought him a rapid fifty. Noor also bowled Tim Robinson but not before the Warrior’s debutant opener had got the chase off to a breezy start with 33 off 20 deliveries - including a deliciously driven lofted six down the ground.

A fired up Alzarri Joseph had Azam Khan caught at short third and was thrilled with the wicket. Joseph then greeted Shimron Hetmyer with a stare and another short delivery but Hetmyer launched the next ball high and long over mid-on for six and then scampered the winning runs off the next over to have the decisive final say.

It was a day to forget for the Kings but one to savour for the Warriors, Barbados Royals are the only other side that remain unbeaten in this year’s competition.

Saint Lucia Kings continued their impressive start to the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with a dominant seven-wicket victory over Antigua & Barbuda Falcons Tuesday night.

Chasing 143 in Antigua, captain Faf du Plessis got the Kings off to a flier before they romped to the target with 18 balls to spare. It was a far less eventful chase for Kings than their remarkable season opening win over St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. But it was more heartache for the Falcons, who suffered a fourth straight defeat in their debut season. The home side were unable to capitalize on a promising start from new opening partners Fakhar Zaman and Justin Greaves as their innings fell away after the PowerPlay.

Left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad starred with 3-18 to restrict Falcons to a modest 142-7 - the lowest total in the CPL this season. Assistant coach Curtly Ambrose provided a passionate rallying cry for his team, but the Falcons attack struggled against the Kings' firepower as opener Johnson Charles anchored the innings with an unbeaten 47 off 46 balls.

A desperate Falcons had been sent in to bat in windy conditions. Greaves, in his season debut, tried to provide a tonic and smashed a second ball boundary while Zaman soon found his rhythm with a stunning straight six off seamer Matthew Forde. But their blossoming 35-run partnership was broken when Zaman was well caught by a running Khary Pierre, who shortly afterwards clean bowled Kofi James.

Pierre continued to be part of the action when he caught a skier from Greaves, who fell on 36 after he gamely tried to hit into the breeze.

The Falcons were shackled by disciplined bowling in the middle overs, unable to hit boundaries as their innings flamed out.

Du Plessis made batting look easy and whacked quick Shamar Springer for three boundaries and a six in the second over. He smashed 28 in his first 11 deliveries before falling in the first over from spinner Imad Wasim.

The wicket of du Plessis and a brief rain delay at North Sound did not stop Kings' momentum as Charles and Bhanuka Rajapaksa bludgeoned monstrous sixes. Captain Chris Green took it upon himself to revive the Falcons with the wicket of Rajapaksa in the eighth over.

But in Green's next over when he dropped a return chance to reprieve Ackeem Auguste on the last ball before drinks. A rampant Tim Seifert finished off the match in style with a six as Kings made an early season statement.

A tournament record second wicket partnership of 199 runs between Kyle Mayers and Evin Lewis was not enough to see St Kitts & Nevis Patriots to victory in the fifth match of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in Basseterre. The St Lucia Kings completed an ice-veined run chase to pull off a five wicket win with 16 balls remaining.

An unbeaten century for Lewis off 54 balls and 92 from Mayers off 62 deliveries lit up the evening, with boundaries raining down on all corners of the ground, the Patriots pair hitting a combined 16 sixes and 13 fours to set a challenging target of 201-3.

The game looked all but gone for the Kings early in their response. At 24-4 inside four overs with opener and captain Faf du Plessis pocketed by countryman Anrich Nortje for 2 and Mayers doing early damage with the ball in hand to get rid of Johnson Charles and Ackeem Auguste.

A remarkable passage of play followed, Tim Seifert was dropped twice on his way to scoring 64 off 27 balls before Bhanuka Rajapaska (68* off 35) and David Wiese (34* off 20) beat the fielders and cleared the ropes with aplomb to knock off the runs with relative ease.

The rain fell at Warner Park but it wasn’t heavy or sustained enough to come to Patriots rescue, all of their bowlers shipped heavy runs apart from Nortje who finished with 2-29 from his four overs. Team captain Andre Fletcher intimated that his side need to improve in order to challenge in the competition.

“As a fielding unit, we are not helping the bowlers.” Fletcher said after the match. “We can't be dropping catches and expect to win matches against powerful batting line-ups. Catches win matches and we have to do that, and buck up on our fielding.”

It was a bittersweet evening for Kyle Mayers, who picked up the Player of the Match award for his outstanding all-round performance. “It was a good day for me but the team did not cross the line, so it is still sad. The difference between us and them was that they executed in the back end and the rain also kept our spinners out of the game.”

It as a confident start to the 2024 campaign by St Lucia Kings who chalked up victory in their first outing but plenty to ponder for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots with just one win from three matches so far.

The Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) squads for the 2024 season have been confirmed following the completion of the player draft on Monday.

Kyle Mayers was the first pick of the draft, joining the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. He will be joined at the Patriots by Mikyle Louis, Ryan John and Veerasammy Permaul. 

The Saint Lucia Kings welcome USA international Aaron Jones who qualifies to play at the CPL as a local player as he has a Barbados passport. The Kings have also selected Khari Campbell, Johann Jeremiah, Mikkel Govia and Akeem Auguste. 

The Barbados Royals have picked Kadeem Alleyne, Isai Thorne and Nathan Sealy to complete their squad while the Guyana Amazon Warriors have selected all-rounders Raymon Reifer and Ronaldo Alimohamed. Matthew Nandu also rejoins the Warriors having been selected in the draft. 

The Antigua & Barbuda Falcons picked five players at the draft with Roshon Primus, Justin Greaves, Jahmar Hamilton, Teddy Bishop and Kofi James joining the newest CPL team. The Trinbago Knight Riders selected Nathan Edward and Shaquere Parris in their emerging player spots.

The 2024 season gets underway on the 29 August with the Antigua & Barbuda Falcons taking on the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium. The tournament will also visit St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana. 

The full squads are as follows:

Barbados Royals: Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, David Miller, Quinton De Kock, Maheesh Theekshana, Alick Athanaze, Naveen-ul-Haq, Obed McCoy, Kevin Wickham, Keshav Maharaj, Kadeem Alleyne, Rahkeem Cornwall, Isai Thorne, Nathan Sealy, Nyeem Young, Rivaldo Clarke, Ramon Simmonds

Guyana Amazon Warriors: Imran Tahir, Shimron Hetmyer, Saim Ayub, Shai Hope, Romario Shepherd, Azam Khan, Gudakesh Motie, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Keemo Paul, Dwaine Pretorius, Kevin Sinclair, Raymon Reifer, Ronaldo Alimohamed, Shamar Joseph, Kevlon Anderson, Matthew Nandu, Junior Sinclair

Antigua & Barbuda Falcons: Imad Wasim, Brandon King, Fabian Allen, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Amir, Chris Green, Fakhar Zaman, Roshon Primus, Justin Greaves, Hayden Walsh, Jahmar Hamilton, Teddy Bishop, Kofi James, Shamar Springer, Kelvin Pitman, Jewel Andrew, Joshua James

St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots: Kyle Mayers, Wanindu Hasaranga, Rilee Rossouw, Sherfane Rutherford, Evin Lewis, Sikandar Raza, Nuwan Thushara, Andre Fletcher, Tristan Stubbs, Dominic Drakes, Odean Smith, Mikyle Louis, Joshua Da Silva, Veerasammy Permaul, Ryan John, Ashmead Nedd, Johann Layne

Saint Lucia Kings: Heinrich Klaasen, Faf Du Plessis, Alzarri Joseph, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Noor Ahmad, David Wiese, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Matthew Forde, Aaron Jones, Khary Pierre, Khari Campbell, Johann Jeremiah, Shadrack Descarte, Mikkel Govia, McKenny Clarke, Akeem Auguste

Trinbago Knight Riders: Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Nicholas Pooran, Tim David, Akeal Hosein, Jason Roy, Dwayne Bravo, Josh Little, Waqar Salamkheil, Jayden Seales, Ali Khan, Mark Deyal, Keacy Carty, Terrence Hinds, Nathan Edward, Shaquere Parris

St Lucia Kings have signed South Africa batter Heinrich Klaasen and Afghanistan wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad for the 2024 edition of the Caribbean Premier League 2024 ahead of the player draft.

Faf du Plessis, whose stint with Kings last year was cut short due to injury, has been retained. Namibia allrounder David Wiese and Sri Lanka batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa are also among the overseas retainees.

Kings have 12 confirmed players for the season and will have five spots to fill at the draft in July.

They have retained the core of Caribbean players, which includes Johnson Charles, Alzarri Joseph, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde and Khary Pierre. Fast bowlers Shadrack Descarte and McKenny Clarke round out their retentions.

Colin Munro, who was named du Plessis' replacement last year, has been released as have Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams and Chris Sole.

Klaasen has been in phenomenal form in T20s since 2023. He finished as the second-highest run-getter in the SA20 earlier this year and was in top form in the IPL as well with 479 runs in 16 games. His strike rate in the format since 2023 is 176.80. This will be Klaasen's second stint in the CPL, having represented Guyana Amazon Warriors in 2022 where he made 118 runs in five games.

Kings made their fourth consecutive playoffs spot in 2023 but lost in the Eliminator against Jamaica Tallawahs.

The 2024 edition of the CPL is set to run from August 30 to October 7. Kings will open their campaign against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots on September 1 in Basseterre.

The Jamaica Tallawahs will head to Qualifier 2 of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) following a comprehensive five-wicket defeat of the Saint Lucia Kings on Tuesday.

The Tallawahs won the toss and opted to field first and that proved to be an inspired decision as they ripped through the Kings batting to restrict them to 125-9. The Kings never adapted to the slow track and this was made harder when they ran into a Fabian Allen playoff masterclass as the all-rounder led the way for the Tallawahs taking 4-25.

The Kings were always up against it from that moment and the Tallawahs duly wrapped up victory inside 18 overs having been given a great foundation by Brandon King and Alex Hales.

The Kings had their moments with the ball while trying to defend a modest 125-run target, Matthew Forde took a career best 4-22 but that was as good as it got for the Kings.

Earlier, the Tallawahs had suffered an initial setback when they lost Mohammed Amir to injury three balls into the match but the remaining Tallawahs bowling attack made light of the absence of their talisman.

Both Colin Munro and Johnson Charles fell inside the PowerPlay as the Kings inning struggled to get going with wickets falling outside the PowerPlay.

Green picked up his second wicket to remove Bhanuka Rajapasa before Nicholson Gordon got in on the act. The fast bowler removed Shadrack Descarte for four to leave the Kings in trouble at 59-4 at the half-way stage of the innings.

Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals and when Fabian Allen removed Sikander Raza and Roston Chase in the 16th over, the Kings were all at sea. Allen added two more wickets in the 18th over to end a brilliant spell with 4-25.

Just when it appeared the Kings were on the brink of being bowled out Khary Pierre and Peter Hatzoglou got them up to 125 to give them something to bowl at.

In reply, the Tallawahs all but confirmed victory when King and Hales raced to 43 in the first four overs. King eventually fell for 30 and Hales for 24 but the damage was done. 

The honour of seeing the Tallawahs home fell to Raymon Reifer who took the drama out of the chase with a sensibly constructed 30 not out. The Tallawahs victory now means that they head to Qualifier 2 on Friday night.

Scores: Jamaica Tallawahs 126-5 (King 30, Reifer 30*; Forde 4-23, Pierre 1-26) beat Saint Lucia Kings 125-9 (Chase 40, Raza 19; Allen 4-25, Green 2-19) by five wickets

The Jamaica Tallawahs all but assured themselves of a place in the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Playoffs following a comprehensive 122 run victory over the Saint Lucia Kings.

The Saint Lucia Kings won the toss and opted to field first and that backfired as they ran into an Alex Hales storm. Hales produced his career best to propel the Tallawahs to 201-5 a total that always looked impenetrable.

The Kings were never in the game from that moment and the Tallawahs wrapped up victory inside 15 overs bowling the Kings out for 79.

The Tallawahs were hampered by the enforced absence of Captain Brandon King, however, Hales stepped up to the plate to blaze his way to his highest individual T20 career score of 119 not out.

Hales and Imad Wasim put together a magnificent partnership of 116 from 52 balls to help set a target of 202 to win – an equation that always looked likely to be enough to secure their spot in the Caribbean Premier League eliminator.

In reply, the Kings were struggling from the start of the PowerPlay, Mohammed Amir dismissed makeshift opener Roshon Primus and Leonardo Julien before Chris Green got in on the act to trap Bhanuka Rajapaksa in front for 22 and Sean Williams for a duck.

The Kings were bowled out for 79 with Chris Green the wicket taker in chief, leading the way with a devastating spell of 4-15.

Scores: Jamaica Tallawahs 201-5 (Hales 119*, Wasim 41; Chase 2-33, Joseph 1-28) beat Saint Lucia Kings 79 (Rajapaska 22, Forde 13; Green 4-15, Amir 2-17) by 122 runs

The Saint Lucia Kings confirmed their place in the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Playoffs following a comfortable seven wicket victory over the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

The Amazon Warriors won the toss and opted to bat first and it was a decision that was to backfire as the innings never really got going until the final five overs. Despite some late power hitting the Amazon Warriors could only post 167-5 which appeared subpar at first glance.

That proved to be correct as the Saint Lucia Kings confirmed that by chasing down the 168 to win with 15 balls remaining.

Earlier the Amazon Warriors suffered a slow start as Matthew Nandu was run out for three inside the PowerPlay and that setback contributed to the Warriors only reaching 35-1 at the end of the initial six overs.

That sedate start was difficult for the home side to overcome as the CPL’s top run scorer, Saim Ayub, fell for 16 in the ninth over with the score on 50-2.

However, Shai Hope and Azam Khan then Khan and Shimron Hetmyer helped rebuild the innings before late fireworks from Keemo Paul and Romario Shepherd ensured 72 runs were added in the final five overs to set the Kings 168 to win.

That 168 proved to be well under par as the Kings made easy work of the chase.

Although Johnson Charles fell for one in the second over that was to be as good as it got for the Amazon Warriors as Colin Munro and Bhanuka Rajapaksa put on a devastating partnership of 132 runs from 82 balls.

Rajapaksa holed out for 86 to deep mid-wicket and Munro followed shortly after for 55, but the job was done. It allowed Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza to see the chase home with three overs remaining.

The win ensures the Kings qualify for the playoffs with one game to spare.

Scores: Saint Lucia Kings 170-3 (Rajapaksa 86, Munro 55; Shepherd 1-15, Tahir 1-34) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 167-5 (Khan 40, Hope 38; Joseph 2-31, Raza 1-14) by seven wickets.

Trinbago Knight Riders ensured a top-two finish and place in the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Qualifiers with a seven wicket victory over the Saint Lucia Kings on Sunday.

The home team won the toss and chose to field but it was their former player Colin Munro who was the star of the Saint Lucia Kings innings, scoring an unbeaten 72 runs to take the side to 167-3 after 20 overs.

The Knight Riders’ chase was headlined by a superb half century from Mark Deyal, alongside support from wicket-keeper Lorcan Tucker and Andre Russell, to take the side to a seven-wicket victory in their final game this season in front of their home crowd.

Saint Lucia Kings lost powerful opener Johnson Charles in the PowerPlay, as fast bowler Jayden Seales celebrated with a wicket on his birthday, but the Kings would rebuild as Colin Munro and Roston Chase patiently scored runs in their 76-run partnership, which came off 58 balls.

Chase was dismissed off a Waqar Salamkheil delivery and that was followed shortly afterwards with the big wicket of captain Sikandar Raza, who fell to Sunil Narine.  A late cameo from Sean Williams, who smashed 34 runs off 17 balls would see the Saint Lucia Kings score 58 runs in the last five overs to finish on 167-3.

Trinbago Knight Riders had an early scare as opener Martin Guptill was given out LBW from just the third ball of the innings but the decision was overturned on review.

Guptill eventually lost his wicket in the fourth over, and when Nicholas Pooran, leading run scorer for the franchise this season, lost his wicket in the final ball of the Powerplay to an Alzarri Joseph delivery, the Knight Riders looked in trouble at 45-2.

However, opener Mark Deyal would compose a brilliant half century, reaching 57 before being caught on the boundary by Peter Hatzoglou. Lorcan Tucker would provide invaluable support with 38 runs, before a flurry of boundaries from Andre Russell would ensure the Trinbago Knight Riders would win. 

CPL action now moves on to the final leg in Guyana, with the Guyana Amazon Warriors taking on the Jamaica Tallawahs on Wednesday evening.

Scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 169-3 (Deyal 57, Tucker 38; Joseph 2-42, Chase 1-25) beat Saint Lucia Kings 167-3 (Munro 72*, Williams 34*; Seales 1-23, Salamkheil 1-23) by 7 wickets

Andre Fletcher starred with an unbeaten 93 to lead the St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots to a four-wicket win over the St. Lucia Kings at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Saturday.

This win was the first for the Patriots this season in nine games, their worst run since the 2020 season where they finished last after winning just one match.

The Kings were restricted to 149-7 off their 20 overs after the Patriots won the toss and decided to field first.

Shadrack Descarte led the way with a 31-ball 43 while Johnson Charles hit 42 for the Kings as Ashmead Nedd bowled beautifully up front for the Patriots with 2-14 from his four overs. Benny Howell also bowled well with 2-31 from his four overs.

Fletcher then starred with an unbeaten 93 from 64 balls including six fours and five sixes to lead the successful chase for the Patriots.

Sherfane Rutherford was the next highest scorer with 17.

Things got a bit tricky for the Patriots in the 17^th over when Fletcher picked up a hamstring injury which left him unable to run unimpaired for the remainder of the chase.

With that being said, the chase seemed comfortable up until the penultimate over from Alzarri Joseph.

The Patriots needed just 10 from the final two overs at that point before a brilliant over from Joseph meant St. Kitts & Nevis would end up needing nine from the last over with an injured Fletched and Corbin Bosch at the crease.

Roston Chase was tasked with bowling the last over. The first two balls were hit for singles before Bosch was dismissed caught at deep mid-wicket off the third ball leaving the Patriots needing seven.

Dominic Drakes joined Fletcher at the crease and was only able to get a single off the fourth ball.

Fletcher then ended proceedings with a six off the fifth ball to seal the win.

Kharry Pierre, Roston Chase and Sikanda Raza all took two wickets, each, for the Kings.

Saint Lucia Kings earned their second win of the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with a 54 run victory over Trinbago Knight Riders. 

The Knight Riders won the toss and chose to field first, but Saint Lucia Kings, powered by the batting of Faf du Plessis and Sikandar Raza, scored a substantial 167/5 after 20 overs. 

Trinbago Knight Riders began their chase scoring runs rapidly, but the spin bowling of Khary Pierre, Roston Chase and Sikandar Raza was ultimately their undoing as they lost frequent wickets and were bowled out for 113, falling 54 runs short of the target.   

Openers Faf du Plessis and Johnson Charles would put on an 85 run partnership to provide a platform for the Saint Lucia Kings, du Plessis reaching his half century from just 33 balls before losing his wicket to an Andre Russell delivery. 

Trinbago Knight Riders would then frustrate Saint Lucia Kings as their variation of bowlers kept the runs down, before Sikandar Raza led a counter-attack, scoring four boundaries before departing for 32. Dwayne Bravo and Ali Khan would bowl superbly at the end of the innings, combining to concede just 11 runs and taking three wickets across the final two overs, as the Saint Lucia Kings set a target of 168 to win.  

There were early set backs for the Knight Riders, as they lost the experienced wickets of Martin Guptill, Chadwick Walton and Nicholas Pooran in the powerplay. Captain Kieron Pollard would provide a destructive cameo as he scored 34 off 15 balls and ensured they stayed ahead of the run rate, but wickets continued to fall, leaving the Knight Riders 86-6 after ten overs. Saint Lucia Kings continued to utilise spin effectively; Khary Pierre was the pick of the bowlers, taking four wickets for 20 runs as the Knight Riders were dismissed for 113.  

Trinbago Knight Riders will look to rebound in tomorrow evening’s match as they face off against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. 

Saint Lucia Kings bounced back from opening day defeat to get their tournament underway with a comprehensive 54-run victory over the Barbados Royals in the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Thursday night.

The Kings won the toss and opted to bat first and they filled their boots with a barnstorming innings that saw them post the highest total of the season thus far with a fantastic 201-6.

Healthy contributions from all members of the batting order negated a brilliant spell of bowling from Jason Holder and ensured the Royals would have to produce something very special to win.

The Royals failed to get going in their reply, losing five wickets in the PowerPlay to all but end the chase but a spirited 48 from Nyeem Young ensured the Royals added some late respectability to proceedings.

Earlier on the Kings had posted 201-6, led by a blistering show by the opening pair of Johnson Charles and Faf Du Plessis, the Kings raced to 61 but two wickets in Jason Holder’s first over brought things back. Charles and Shadrack Descarte falling in quick succession to give the Royals something to work with.

However, that joy proved to be short-lived as first Sean Williams and Du Plessis, then Williams and Sikandar Raza made light work of the Royals bowling to put the Kings into a commanding position heading into the final five overs.

But that platform failed to be fully exploited as Qais Ahmad and Jason Holder pulled the momentum back by dismissing Williams and Raza respectively.

Holder was to finish the match with 4-38 adding Roston Chase to his list of scalps but the lack of consistent support elsewhere ensured the Kings were still able to post an imposing total for the Royals to chase.

Chasing 202 to win was always a tall order for the Royals to chase but the reply was over before it began, following a run out for Rahkeem Cornwall, Matthew Forde was destructor in chief removing the Royals top order to leave the innings in trouble at 21-4.

Kyle Mayers briefly threaten to counter attack before Alzarri Joseph had him caught on the third man boundary for 16.

From there the Kings took the game away with wickets falling at regular intervals to dismiss the Royals for 147 to chalk up their first win of the tournament.

Scores: Saint Lucia Kings 201-6 (Williams 47, Du Plessis 46; Holder 4-38, Qais 2-35) beat Barbados Royals 147 all out (Young 48, Ferreira 19; Forde 3-12, Raza 1-21) by 54 runs

Captain Brandon King led from the front with a commanding half-century to lead defending champions Jamaica Tallawahs to an 11-run victory over the St Lucia Kings as the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League got underway at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia on Wednesday.

King, the Player of the Match, scored a match-high 81 from 53 balls to lead the Tallawahs to 187 from their 20 overs. Roston Chase scored a quick-fire 50 but the Kings came up short scoring 176-8.

King and Kirk McKenzie opened with a stand of 44 that was broken when Chase removed McKenzie for 20. It would be the first of three wickets that the Tallawahs would lose in quick succession as Chase also dismissed Shamarh Brooks for 12 and Alzarri Joseph removed Amir Jangoo for a duck to leave the defending champions tottering at 62-3, having lost three wickets for 19 runs.

King found a useful partner in Raymon Reifer, who together put on a fourth-wicket stand of 77 that put the Tallawahs on track to a score of over 200 runs. Chase broke the stand when he dismissed Reifer for 16 and triggered a middle-order slide.

Fabian Allen smashed two fours and a six before he was run out for 15 and then King was finally dismissed for 81 that included nine fours and three sixes. Imad Wasim was the last man out for crucial 19 as the Tallawahs lost three wickets off the final three balls of the innings, Mohammad Amir and Nicholson Gordon both run out without scoring.

Chase finished with 3-39 and Joseph 2-21.

Chase also shone with the bat with 53 from 31 balls and got support from Roshon Primus who smashed 37 from just 20 balls as the pair put on a sixth-wicket stand of 61 that threatened to turn the match in favour the Kings.

However, once Primus was run out by Amir for 37, the innings quickly fell away as Chase was then bowled by Salman Irshad who also bowled Matthew Forde for four.

Earlier Johnson Charles rode his luck after being dropped twice to make 24 and Sean Williams contributed 26. Chris Green removed both as the Kings began to fall behind the required run rate. Meanwhile, Imad Wasim dismissed the dangerous Faf de Plessis for nine and then took the wickets of Sikandar Raza for four and Kimani Melius for a duck in consecutive deliveries that had the Kings struggling at 104-5 and needing to score at 14 runs an over in the final six.

Chase and Primus did their best but it proved to be a bridge too far.

Wasim finished with 3-27 while Irshad took 2-39. Chris Green’s two wickets came at a cost of 28 runs.