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Brief scores: Saint Lucia Kings 97/3 in 13.5 overs (Maheesh Theekshana 1/16) beat Barbados Royals 96/9 in 20 overs (David Miller 21) by seven wickets.
Barbados Royals were handed their second defeat of the Caribbean Premier League 2024 season, as they lost by seven wickets to the Saint Lucia Kings at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Saturday.
The Royals still hold the top spot in the CPL 2024 points table with 10 points. After a massive victory against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in their previous game, the Royals couldn’t conjure up the same magic against the Kings. The batters were unable to put a solid total on the board in the first innings, which led to the Kings cruising to a comfortable win.
Skipper Rovman Powell won the toss and chose to bat first since the surface looked dry. The only change in the squad was Keshav Maharaj replacing Naveen-ul-Haq due to a spinning track.
The Royals take a hit in powerplay
The Royals' innings didn't begin as they had planned. Both the openers, Quinton de Kock and Rahkeem Cornwall were out in the second over off Alzarri Joseph's deliveries. De Kock has been a rock for the Royals in batting, and his loss shook the top order. Even Kadeem Alleyne and Powell were dismissed within the powerplay. By the end of the sixth over, the Royals were languishing at 28/4.
The Royals’ middle order falls short
The middle order focussed on taking things slow and steady to put a fighting total on the board. Jason Holder and David Miller held the fort for a while, scoring 21 runs each, before Holder fell in the 11th over. Thereafter, Keshav Maharaj and Maheesh Theekshana tried to consolidate but the Royals kept losing wickets at regular intervals. No solid partnerships were formed, and the Royals ended with 96 runs on the board.
Solid bowling display by the Kings
The bowling from the Kings was spot on. Though the wicket was supposed to favour the spinners, the Kings’ pace sensation Joseph ended as the top wicket-taker with four to his name. Roston Chase took three, while Noor Ahmad and Mikkel Govia took one each. They bowled brilliantly to restrict the Royals to a below-100 score.
A good start by Royals’ bowlers
The Royals' bowlers, Holder and Theekshana started the second innings strong, taking the wickets of Johnson Charles and Ackeem Auguste early. With the score reading 16/2, the Kings' skipper Faf du Plessis stuck on the crease. He scored 26 off 19 balls before falling to Maharaj's spin.
Chase & Seifert complete the chase
That was the last wicket the Kings lost. Chase and Tim Seifert partnered together to chase the rest of the runs. At the end of 10 overs, the Kings were at 71/3 and needed just 26 runs to win. The duo calmly chased down the rest in another 23 deliveries, to win the match with 37 balls remaining. While Chase ended with 39 runs off 38 balls, which included four boundaries, Seifert added 21 off 17 to the board. With the win, Saint Lucia Kings booked a playoff berth for themselves.
The Royals will be back in action in a day. They meet the Saint Lucia Kings again on Sunday. The match will be played at the same venue, the Providence Stadium in Guyana.
