CPL

Amazon Warriors win thriller against Royals to remain unbeaten

By Sports Desk September 10, 2023
Amazon Warriors win thriller against Royals to remain unbeaten CPL via Getty Images

Guyana Amazon Warriors maintained their unbeaten start to the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with a last over thriller against the Barbados Royals on Sunday.

The Amazon Warriors won the toss and opted to bat first and despite losing a flurry of wickets at the back end of their innings they posted an ominous 181-9.

Scoreboard pressure saw the Royals lose early wickets in the PowerPlay but they were always in sight of the required run rate in their reply. Having seemingly timed their chase to perfection, the Royals needed six runs from the final over but Gudakesh Motie held his nerve to seal a dramatic win for the Amazon Warriors.

Earlier Amazon Warriors had surprised everyone by opening with Motie and Saim Ayub and the experiment did not bear fruit as Motie fell for seven runs inside the opening nine balls.

Ayub and Hope laid a foundation following that dismissal to leave the Amazon Warriors handily placed on 83-1 at the half-way stage of the innings.    

The 98-run partnership was eventually broken when Carlos Braithwaite dismissed Ayub caught and bowled for 57. Azam Khan fell shortly afterwards but the Amazon Warriors continued to force the pace before Obed McCoy got Hope to chop on to his stumps for an even 50.

Late-over fielding penalties saw the Royals get punished but Brathwaite continued to be a thorn in the Amazon Warriors side dismissing Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd and Odean Smith in the 19th over before Jason Holder followed suit in the last over to remove Dwaine Pretorius and Keemo Paul.

The Amazon Warriors still posted an imposing total of 181-9 that left the Royals an almighty task ahead.

While 182 to win was always likely to be a tall order, the Royals did not help their assignment by losing both their openers inside the PowerPlay. However, the Royals reached the six-over mark at 54-2 and ensured they had a base from which to mount a charge.

A 60-run partnership between Laurie Evans and Alick Athanaze was eventually bought to a close when Odean Smith got Evans to commit to a shot too early and Athanaze himself was to follow 12 balls later.

Just when it seemed the Royals were going to fall to defeat captain Rovman Powell blasted 39 from 19 balls to leave the Royals the equation of 31 runs needed from 19 balls.

Once Braithwaite and Justin Greaves had got the equation down to six of the final over it looked a forgone conclusion but the Warriors and Motie closed out a famous win.

Scores: Guyana Amazon Warriors 181-9 (Ayub 58, Hope 50; Brathwaite 4-27, McCoy 2-25) beat Barbados Royals 178-8 (Evans 44, Powell 39; Pretorius 2-24, Motie 2-38) by three runs.

 

 

Tags
« Pooran shines again as Knight Riders defeat slumping Tallawahs by seven wickets and climb to top of CPL table Hayley Matthews leads Barbados Royals to 2023 Women's CPL title after eight-run victory over Amazon Warriors »

Related items

  • Knight Riders dispatch Super Giants to move top of IPL Knight Riders dispatch Super Giants to move top of IPL

    Kolkata Knight Riders moved to the top of the Indian Premier League courtesy of a 98-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants.

    Sunil Narine hit a sensational 81 from 39 balls, and he was ably supported by Ramandeep Singh's 25 from six deliveries, as KKR reeled off a third straight win on Sunday.

    Ramandeep enjoyed a great day in the field too, as he took one of the catches of the season as LSG managed just 137 in response to KKR's 235.

    Phil Salt struck 32, but it was fellow opener Narine who did the damage for KKR.

    Ravi Bishnoi eventually ended his stand, but only when KKR had reached 140. Angkrish Raghuvanshi (32) had to be substituted out, but Shreyas Iyer added a useful 23 before Ramandeep hammered 25 from just an overs' worth of deliveries.

    KL Rahul (25) and Marcus Stoinis (36) tried to get Lucknow going either side of Ramandeep's spectacular catch to dismiss Arshin Kulkarni, but the Super Giants never set the pace to truly trouble Kolkata.

  • Sunil Narine's plunders 81 to propel Kolkata Knight Riders to emphatic victory over Pooran's Lucknow Super Giants Sunil Narine's plunders 81 to propel Kolkata Knight Riders to emphatic victory over Pooran's Lucknow Super Giants

    In a sensational display of power hitting, Sunil Narine spearheaded Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a commanding victory over Nicholas Pooran's Lucknow Super Giants and a place atop of the IPL table with a stunning knock of 81 runs off just 39 deliveries.

    Alongside Narine, contributions from Ramandeep Singh (25 off 6 balls), Phil Salt (32), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (32), and Shreyas Iyer ensured that KKR posted an imposing total of 235 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs.

    The match, held at one of the lower-scoring venues in IPL 2024, set the stage for a challenging run chase for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Despite a 50-run partnership between KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis, LSG struggled to accelerate the scoring rate, ultimately succumbing to the pressure imposed by KKR's bowlers.

    Andre Russell emerged as a pivotal figure in the match, not only with his powerful batting but also with his crucial contributions with the ball. Russell's bowling spell saw him claim the crucial wickets of Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran, swinging the match heavily in KKR's favor.

    As LSG's innings faltered, the required run rate soared out of control, with the last nine wickets falling for just 67 runs. Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana were instrumental in dismantling LSG's batting lineup, each claiming three wickets.

    Narine's explosive batting display in the initial overs set the tone for KKR's commanding total. After Salt's aggressive start, Narine took centre stage, unleashing a barrage of boundaries and sixes. His innings featured a total of seven sixes and six fours, demonstrating his ability to accelerate the scoring rate at will.

    Despite eventually being dismissed while attempting another big hit, Narine's contribution laid the foundation for KKR's comprehensive victory. The match also witnessed standout performances from Ramandeep Singh, whose quick-fire innings added crucial runs to KKR's total, putting LSG under immense pressure.

    With this convincing win, Kolkata Knight Riders continue to demonstrate their formidable form in IPL 2024, buoyed by standout performances from key players like Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, signaling their intent as serious contenders in the tournament.

     

     

     

     

  • IPL: Jadeja stars as CSK move into playoff places IPL: Jadeja stars as CSK move into playoff places

    Chennai Super Kings moved into the Indian Premier League playoff places after beating Punjab Kings by 28 runs in Dharamshala.

    The reigning champions avenged their seven-wicket defeat by the Kings in Chennai four days earlier to climb to third place in the table with three games remaining.

    After a slow start, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Daryl Mitchell's partnership brought 57 runs and settled CSK into their stride. Although MS Dhoni went for a duck, Ravindra Jadeja's late surge of 43 from 26 balls saw them close at 167-9.

    Tushar Deshpande claimed Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Rossouw in the second over to stem the Kings' early momentum, while Jadeja (3-20) also took a quickfire double of Sam Curran and Ashutosh Sharma in the 13th over as the hosts finished well short of their target at 139-9.

    Data debrief

    In getting back to winning ways, CSK ended their five-game losing streak against the Kings, stretching back to 2021.

    Despite going for a duck, Dhoni managed to make amends in the field. When he caught out Jitesh Sharma, he became the first player in IPL history to take 150 catches.

back to top