The Patriots won the toss and opted to field first, but the decision backfired, as the Amazon Warriors made light of losing wickets at regular intervals, to post an exceptional 197 for 7.
In reply, the Patriots struggled to get close to the Warriors total, being bundled over for 132 in 16.5 overs.
Evin Lewis played a quick-fire captain’s knock, but once he fell, no one else in the Patriots order was able to have a similar effect on the game.
The Amazon Warriors innings suffered an early blow when Sheldon Cottrell removed Chandrapaul Hemraj in the first over for a duck.
Though the Patriots lost two further wickets in the PowerPlay –Saim Ayub falling to Dominic Drakes and Azam Khan to Oshane Thomas –they kept the run-rate brisk, and were well positioned at 59 for 3, at the end of the initial six overs.
Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer maintained and, by extension, built on that momentum taking the score to 101 for 3 at the halfway stage of the innings. Hope led the way, as he raced to a half-century from a mere 26 balls.
However, the partnership was eventually broken by wrist spinner Izharulhaq Naveed, who bowled the destructive Hope for 54. That wicket was quickly followed up by the dismissal of Hetmyer for 26, as the left-hander holed out to the fielder on the deep point boundary.
Those wickets briefly took the momentum out of the innings, before Keemo Paul and Romario Shepherd not only steadied the ship, but added quick runs at the backend to help the Warriors to their imposing target.
The Patriots reply never really got going as scoreboard pressure told.
Andre Fletcher and Joshua Da Silva fell inside the PowerPlay to leave the Patriots 37 for 2 at the end of six overs.
Lewis played a fine counter-attacking innings of 48 from 24 balls to bring the required run-rate down to something more manageable, but whatever hope they had of achieving the winning target, was short lived.
Lewis and Sherfane Rutherford fell six balls apart to leave the Patriots at 88 for 4 after 10 overs.
As if things couldn’t get any worse, the remaining batsmen failed to put together any useful partnerships, as they came and went in quick succession.
Gudakesh Motie proved too hard to handle and, as such, finished with career best figures in a spell that included the wicket of Ambati Rayudu.
The left-arm spinner ended with four wickets for 28, almost single-handedly gifting Amazon Warriors an opening victory, which would not only boost their confidence, but also set them up nicely for the remainder of the campaign.
Scores: Guyana Amazon Warriors 197-7 (Hope 54, Ayub 31; Thomas 3-38, Drakes 2-43) beat St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 132 (Lewis 48, Rayudu 32; Motie 4-29, Tahir 2-35) by 65 runs
The Patriots will look to bounce back when they host the Barbados Royals on Saturday.
The Kings posted a imposing 187-4 after Ravindra Jadeja won the toss and put them in on Monday.
Ambati Rayudu made a blistering 78 off 39 balls, but was dismissed in the 17th over as the struggling reigning champions were condemned to their sixth defeat in eight matches, leaving their play-off hopes in tatters.
The Kings were unable to get off to a flyer and lost captain Mayank Agarwal for 18, Shivam Dube taking the catch off the bowling of Maheesh Theekshana.
Dhawan, however, became the third-highest scorer in the 2022 IPL with a terrific knock, supported in excellent fashion by Bhanuka Rajapaska (42) until he also fell victim to a catch from Dube for Dwayne Bravo.
Liam Livingstone made a rapid 19 from seven balls as Punjab produced a late flurry of runs.
Robin Uthappa (1), Mitchell Santner (9), and Dube (8) fell cheaply to leave CSK in trouble on 40-3 from seven overs, before Rayudu's talismanic efforts threatened to be the catalyst for a stunning win.
Agarwal caught Ruturaj Gaikwad for 30, before Rayudu was cleaned up by the impressive Kagiso Rabada, who claimed excellent figures of 2-23.
Chennai's hopes of chasing down their target looked slim after Rayudu was sent packing, with Jadeja (21 not out) and MS Dhoni (12) unable to get them home.
Dhawan sets the tone
Dhawan's classy knock went a long way to ending the Kings' two-match losing run and Punjab are in sixth spot with four wins and as many defeats.
The India opener struck two sixes and nine fours, shifting through the gears after a watchful start.
Rayudu goes close for out-of-form Super Kings
Chennai's miserable IPL title defence continued after their top order was decimated early on, but Rayudu was unfortunate to taste defeat after single-handedly dragging his side into contention.
In a repeat of the final of the previous edition of the IPL - when Mumbai beat the then-defending champions Chennai by a single run - the Super Kings chased down 163 to win.
They did so despite losing openers Shane Watson and Murali Vijay in the first two overs of their reply as Rayudu smashed 71 off 48 and shared a third-wicket stand of 115 with Du Plessis.
The South African finished unbeaten on 58 to see his side home alongside scoreless Chennai captain MS Dhoni, with the India great - who recently retired from international cricket - playing for the first time since the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
The defending champions made a strong start and were 46 without loss in the fifth over, but no one was able to go on and make a big total as Saurabh Tiwary top-scored with 42.
Mumbai were 46-6 across the final seven overs of their innings as they made 162-9, with Lungi Ngidi taking 3-38.
The partnership between Rayudu and Du Plessis proved pivotal, though the former perished when caught and bowled by Rahul Chahar with the final ball of the 16th over.
England all-rounder Sam Curran, making his debut for the Super Kings, stepped in at six and his 18 from six balls brought Chennai to the verge of victory.
For once, Dhoni was not 'the finisher' as he failed to score off the two balls he faced, with Du Plessis instead striking back-to-back fours to give Chennai victory with four balls to spare - their first win over Mumbai in five attempts.
ANOTHER OPENING LOSS FOR MUMBAI
The Indians have won the IPL a record four times, but this was the eighth year in a row in which they had lost their opening game of the tournament.
DHONI SURVIVES FIRST-BALL DUCK
It had been 437 days since Dhoni last took to the crease - in India's World Cup semi-final loss to New Zealand - and he only just survived a first-ball duck. He was initially given out after appearing to feather a Jasprit Bumrah bouncer behind, but the decision was overturned and Dhoni was there at the end, though, for once, he was not the one bringing it home.
Rayudu played three innings for Patriots in the ongoing edition, managing 47 runs at 15.66 and a strike rate of 117.50. His scores in the three innings were 0, 32 and 15.
Rayudu was signed up as a marquee player by Patriots, making him just the second Indian to play in the men's CPL after Pravin Tambe. He had earlier in 2023 retired from international and Indian domestic cricket after helping Chennai Super Kings claim a fifth IPL title.
Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani has also left the tournament for personal reasons. Muzarabani played three games for Patriots and picked up one wicket at 69 with an economy of 10.61. The English duo of fast bowler Benny Howell and top order batter Will Smeed have been called up to replace Rayudu and Muzarabani in the Patriots squad.
Patriots are the only team in the competition without a single win in six matches. Since their opening two fixtures got abandoned due to rain, they have lost each of their following four games.
Meanwhile, Carlos Brathwaite has been called up by Barbados Royals as a temporary replacement for wicketkeeper-batter Donovan Ferreira. Ferreira has been included in South Africa's 16-member squad for their home T20I series against Australia. He is expected to return after his national duties are over.
Ferreira played only one game for Royals in CPL 2023, in which he scored 19 runs. Brathwaite has played 77 CPL matches for four teams and this will be his first stint with Royals. He has scored 822 runs at 16.11 and picked up 59 wickets at 30.15. This is the first time he will be part of the CPL since the 2021 edition.
Rayudu is a veteran of 61 international matches for India and has played 291 T20 matches so brings a vast amount of experience with him. Rayudu was part of the Chennai Super Kings that claimed their fifth IPL title in May this year.
With over 4000 runs in the IPL and international pedigree, Rayudu represents a big signing for the Patriots who will be looking to reclaim the CPL title they won in 2021.
The 2023 CPL season gets underway on 16 August with the Patriots playing their first match against the Trinbago Knight Riders on 19 August.
Mahesh Ramani, Chairman of St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, said: “As the Chairman of St Kitts & Nevis Patriots it has always been my endeavour to try & attract impact making talent to our team in pursuit of our goal to be Champions.
“In that endeavour, it is my pleasure to let the Patriots fans know that we have signed Ambati Rayudu as one of our overseas players for the 2023 season.
“I am sure Ambati’s seasoned expertise of having won multiple championships with various teams in an illustrious career in India will undoubtedly enrich the experience of our young players as we chase our second CPL title in 2023.”
