CPL: Knight Riders tame Kings to climb table

GROS ISLET, St Lucia (CMC):

The Trinbago Knight Riders secured a crucial 18-run victory over the Saint Lucia Kings in a hard-fought Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League encounter here at the Daren Sammy Cricket Grounds Saturday night, a result that dramatically reshuffles the early-season standings.

After both teams had managed just a single win apiece in the tournament’s opening stages, the Knight Riders’ batting firepower, led by a blistering Kieron Pollard, proved the difference.

The win propels Trinbago into third place, while the Kings, suffering their first outright loss, find themselves anchored near the bottom of the table.

Sent in to bat first after Kings’ captain David Wiese won the toss, the Knight Riders’ innings was built on a series of solid contributions.

Openers Colin Munro, with another brisk knock of 43 off 30 balls and Alex Hales, 10, provided a flying start with a 47-run partnership, laying a strong foundation.

While the Kings fought back through Weise and the spin of Tabraiz Shamsi, who claimed the key wicket of Munro, captain Nicholas Pooran compiled a calm 34 off 30 balls to get things back on track.

It was the veteran Pollard who ultimately took the game away from the hosts.

In a devastating display of power hitting, the designated Player of the Match smashed six sixes and four fours in a game-changing cameo that propelled the Knight Riders to a competitive total of 183-7.

In reply, the Saint Lucia Kings kept pace for much of the chase, with openers Tim Seifert and Johnson Charles racing to 74 in nine overs.

Andre Russell, playing his first game of the season, got the crucial breakthrough, removing Seifert for 35, before Usman Tariq had Charles caught for a well-played 47 off 37 balls.

Those wickets saw the Kings consistently lose wickets at critical moments, preventing any partnership from truly flourishing.

The required run rate climbed steadily, leaving them with a near-impossible task of needing 29 runs from the final over bowled by Russell.

Ackeem Auguste, 20 not out, briefly ignited home hopes by launching Russell’s first ball for a massive six. However, the experienced seamer held his nerve, conceding only four more runs and claiming the wicket of Delano Potgieter for 24, to seal an 18-run victory for the visitors.