Caribbean Premier League

After Rovman Powell again won the toss and opted to field first, the Royals bowlers were fairly steady up front, but later found Nicholas Pooran in defiant mode, as the left-hander literally batted them out of the game with a superb unbeaten century.

Pooran’s 53-ball 102, which included 10 sixes and five fours, propelled Knight Riders to a daunting 208-6 from their allotment, before skilled bowling from Waqar Salamkheil (2-18) and Akeal Hosein (2-21), coupled with some poor shot selections from Royals batsmen at times, sealed the deal.

Despite a well-played 45-ball 70 by Kyle Mayers, his best score so far this season, the Royals were restricted to 166. Mayers hammered four sixes and seven fours in his knock.

Scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 208-6 (20 overs); Barbados Royals 166-7 (20 overs)

Sent to bat in front a pack stadium bursting at its seams with a sea of red, the vociferous Knight Riders crowd faced early disappointment when Roelof van der Merwe took a brilliant catch on the boundary ropes to remove Mark Deyal (six) off Mayers bowling.

From 20-1, Pooran and Martin Guptill added 56 for the second wicket, which was inevitably gifted to the Royals, as the New Zealander advanced but failed to get bat on an arm ball from Rahkeem Cornwall and was stumped for 37.

It quickly became 78-3 as a mix-up between Pooran and captain Kieron Pollard resulted in the latter being run out by Mayers.

However, Pooran soldiered on and took the score past the 100-run mark with Lorcan Tucker (eight), before being joined by Andre Russell for an 82-run fifth-wicket partnership.

The two frustrated the Royals bowling with Russell smashing four sixes and two fours in his 22-ball knock, which unfortunately came to an end when he was given out on review for a faint edge.

Pooran eventually pushed past the century milestone, his second in this format, and with it, placed the Knight Riders in the driver’s seat for the two points.

In response, Barbados Royals lost their previous match winner Cornwall (four) cheaply on this occasion, as he went caught by Sunil Narine off Hosein in the third over.

Mayers and Laurie Evans (20) gradually restored the innings, as they added 41 for the second wicket and when the latter fell, it brought captain Powell to the middle.

But Powell’s stay was brief, as he went for nine and Mayers and Alick Athanaze (seven) followed soon after, and from there, the Royals never recovered.

 Jason Holder, who was given a reprieve off a Narine no-ball, failed to capitalise on the second chance and only mustered 19, while Van der Merwe’s quick-fire unbeaten 20 off nine balls, including a massive six and two fours, was not enough.

The win means Trinbago Knight Riders inched up to second on nine points, same as leaders Guyana Amazon Warriors, but the four-time champions have played two games more.

St Lucia Kings (eight points), Barbados Royals (seven points), Jamaica Tallawahs (five points) and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots (two points), complete the table.

The battle for the playoff spots will be intensified when action resumes on Saturday. At that time, Patriots will oppose Kings and Knight Riders against Tallawahs, with a contest between Guyana Amazon Warriors women and Trinbago Knight Riders women, smacked in between.

There can be no doubt that the 27-year-old can be absolutely devasting with the bat, which he has proven on several occasions in recent years. In the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), however, Powell also showed some ability with the ball.  He claimed 5 wickets in both the 2017 and 2018 seasons, along with quite a few economic spells.

The player has, however, not been as successful with the ball recently, going without a wicket in the CPL this season.  It is an area he has targeted for improvement.

“I’m a batting all-rounder, for the last couple of years my bowling has fallen off.  It’s something I have sat down and thought about,” Powell said from the team’s training base in New Zealand on Thursday.

“It’s just for me now to work on my bowling and strengthen all three aspects of my cricket," he added.

One area of his bowling he would specifically like to strengthen is how much pace he can generate.

“To get that ex-factor I think I have to bowl a little bit faster.  Looking at the other all-rounders around the world and around the Caribbean, they tend to bowl a little bit faster than I do.  The slower balls and the variation will always come, but you know over the course of my career I have to come up with ways to bowl a little faster and that will give me an edge.”

The 2013 and 2016 champions are currently second in the table with four points after getting two wins in their first three games. The Barbados Royals lead the table with a perfect record after four games.

The Tallawahs have batted first twice, defending 183-2 against the St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots in their first game and suffering their lone loss after making 163-8 against the St. Lucia Kings in the third.

Against the Guyana Amazon Warriors, they successfully chased down 142, reaching 143-6 in 19.2 overs.

From an individual standpoint, Brandon King is the Tallawahs leading run-scorer after the first three games with 140 followed by Powell with 81 and Kennar Lewis with 73.

“I’m pretty pleased. The guys have been batting well. In the first two games I think the guys got stuck in. Even against the Kings, I’m very pleased with how the guys played after we came under some pressure early out,” Powell said in an ESPN Cricinfo interview on Friday.

“It’s encouraging signs from the batters but it’s early in the season and there’s always room for improvement so I hope, as a batting unit, we keep improving,” he added.

The Tallawahs will next oppose the Trinbago Knight Riders on Saturday. The Knight Riders have one win, one loss and one no result in three games so far and boast a powerful batting line-up including former West Indies white ball captain Kieron Pollard, current West Indies white ball captain Nicholas Pooran and hard-hitting Jamaican all-rounder and former Tallawahs star Andre Russell.

In a match that swung one way and then the other throughout it was the last gasp batting effort of the South African all-rounder who secured the win.

It was the second night in a row where the game was won off the final delivery of the match with the Falcons on the losing side both times. The Falcons had recovered from a stuttering batting display in the face of strong bowling from Gudakesh Motie to post a competitive total of 168/6.

The Warriors also struggled to maintain batting consistency throughout their innings and it looked as if the game was heading towards a Falcons’ win when the target was 47 runs from 18 balls, but a nerveless batting display from Pretorius and the Warriors tail took them to a three-wicket win.

Having won the toss, the Amazon Warriors chose to bowl first and they claimed an early breakthrough when Teddy Bishop was run out by a fine piece of fielding from Shai Hope to leave them 10/1 at the end of the second over.

After a relatively slow opening two overs and the loss of one of their openers there was a need of a rebuild, and that is what they got thanks to a 73-run stand between Fakhar Zaman and Kofi James that took the rate to close to 10 an over.

James’ wicket was the start of a Falcons collapse that saw them lose four wickets for the addition of just 29 runs. Motie was the destroyer in chief as he bowled Sam Billings with a clever delivery that beat the England batter when he advanced down the pitch. He also had Jewel Andrew caught at deep mid-wicket by Shimron Hetmyer when the 17-year-old batter tried to hit back-to-back sixes.

From there it was about Imad Wasim who played a brilliant counter attacking knock that brought the Falcons right back into this match after a middle order stumble. The Pakistani all-rounder scored 40 from 21 balls to propel the Falcons to a total that they could look to defend.

The Amazon Warriors opted to promote Motie up the order to open and he scored a six in the first over but was bowled for 6 from four balls. Gurbaz also went inside the powerplay when he was dismissed by a juggling catch by Shamar Springer at midwicket.

The Falcons spinners did a good job at tying down the Warriors once the fielding restrictions loosened as the rate began to climb. Shimron Hetmyer looked to steady things for the Warriors and build a platform but he was bowled by Imad. When Azam Khan hit his stumps with his bat after a vicious Springer bouncer the Warriors had stumbled to 77/4.

Shai Hope was still in the middle, and last year’s Player of the Tournament was looking dangerous in the death overs but he was bowled for 41 and it appeared that the game was gone for the Warriors with the required rate at more than 15 an over.

That was before Pretorius took 18 runs from the final six balls as the Warriors started the defense of their title in the most dramatic way possible.

The announcement was made by CPL Chief Executive Officer, Pete Russell, in a press conference held Wednesday in Port of Spain to launch the 2023 season of the T20 cricket tournament.

 Having previously sponsored the CPL as the official banking partner since 2015, the bank will now assume the league’s highest sponsorship profile for the next three (3) years.

Republic Bank has also been confirmed as a partner for the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) which will return in 2023 for its second edition. The WCPL sees the best female cricketers from across the region and around the world showcase their skills in front of a huge global audience.

“Republic Bank are the perfect partner for the CPL and WCPL, a company that shares our passion for cricket and Caribbean culture,” said Pete Russell, CEO of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League.

“The CPL is a driver of economic growth and the creation of jobs, so having a financial group like Republic Bank as the title sponsor makes perfect sense. In addition, Republic Bank has a great track record of spreading the love of cricket across the region, something that is important to all of us at the CPL.”

Nigel Baptiste, Group President and Chief Executive Officer for the Republic Group, said: “We are excited to be the Title Sponsor and Official Bank of the Caribbean Premier League. Cricket is hugely important to Caribbean heritage, culture, community and youth development and as the Caribbean’s largest sporting event and one of its most significant sport entertainment exports, the CPL demonstrates to the world the Caribbean’s capability and prowess, illustrates our talent and future potential, and showcases our joyous and incomparable spirit.”  

During the show the drafted players as well as the overseas signings for both tournaments will be revealed. The show will be hosted by Alex Jordan and will feature Ian Bishop, Daren Ganga and Anisa Mohammed giving their expert opinions on the squads for both the CPL and WCPL. 

You will be able to view the Draft Show in the following places:  

CPL’s Facebook and YouTube – Worldwide 
Star Sports – India
Fancode - India
SportsMax – Pan Caribbean 
TV6 – Trinidad & Tobago
Willow – USA 
BT Sport – UK
Sky Sports – New Zealand

The show will be broadcast on the CPL’s social media pages at the following times: 

10:30am ECT
2:30pm GMT
3:30pm BST 
8:00pm IST

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

 Batting first, the Warrior put up 146 for 8 in their 20 overs, but in pursuit, the Patriots, who were anchored by a stunning opening stand of 113 between Lewis and Thomas, only lost two wickets to secure an easy second win.

The Warriors won the toss and elected to bat, but they struggled to get their innings underway in the face of some tidy bowling from the Patriots. Dominic Drakes was the star but there were excellent spells inside the PowerPlay from Sheldon Cottrell and Paul van Meekeren.

It was Cottrell who got the first breakthrough when he had Brandon King caught by Sherfane Rutherford off a leading edge. The Warriors once again pushed Odean Smith up the order as a pinch hitter but he didn’t have the same success as in the first game against the Knight Riders, falling for a seven-ball duck.

  Wickets continued to fall throughout the Warriors innings, and they found themselves 75 for 5 in the 12th over with Drakes finishing with 3 for 26 and Fawad Ahmed claiming 2 for 33.

However, some lusty blows from Nicholas Pooran and a measured innings from Mohammad Hafeez got them to a respectable total. 

In pursuit, Thomas and Lewis were in fine form, and they made the Guyana total look under par as they batted with controlled aggression to put the Patriots in complete control of the chase.

There were few stumbles for the Patriots as Evin Lewis top-scored with 62 from 39 balls, an innings that guided his team to an eight-wicket victory with eight balls to spare.

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. 

K.P.H. Dream Cricket Private Limited is based in India and are knowledgeable owners who have a track record of success on and off the field in major events. They will bring a huge amount of experience to the tournament and to the St Lucian team.

The Zouks have been part of the CPL since the league’s inception making the playoffs during the 2016 season. They play their home games at the Daren Sammy International Cricket Ground, a stadium named after the man who has captained them for six of their seven seasons. Last year the Zouks team featured Sammy, Fawad Ahmed, Rahkeem Cornwall, Andre Fletcher, Colin de Grandhomme and Thisara Perera.

“We are excited at the opportunity to invest in one of the most exciting sporting tournaments in the world, and we have been impressed by the vibrancy of CPL over the last seven years,” said Mohit Burman of K.P.H. Dream Cricket Private Limited.

“We visualise taking the franchise to the next level and showcasing St Lucia in the best possible light over the coming years.”

Pete Russell, Chief Operating Officer of the Hero CPL, said they are buoyed by the development:

“We are hugely excited to welcome this ownership team to the CPL family and we are looking forward to seeing where they take the Zouks during the upcoming season and beyond,” Russell said.

“They bring with them a wealth of experience which is fantastic news for both the CPL and St Lucia as a whole. During the 2019 tournament, the CPL made a positive economic impact of US$13,670,260 in St Lucia and this new ownership group will be working hard to see this figure increase.”

Meanwhile, St Lucia’s Prime Minister, the Hon. Allen Chastanet has greeted the new owners with open arms.

“I welcome the new owners of the Saint Lucia Zouks and hope that their new energy and drive will inspire the team to excel,” the Prime Minister said.

“Saint Lucians continue to root for the Zouks and we are encouraged by the confidence that Mr Mohit Burman and his team have placed in the players and Saint Lucia. The Government of Saint Lucia looks forward to working closely with the new owners to create a team we can all be proud of.”

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 Royals won the toss and captain Jason Holder chose to field first, which looked like a good decision as the Kings lost two wickets in the Powerplay to the superb Mohammad Amir. However, Saint Lucia Kings captain Faf du Plessis once again produced a masterful performance, scoring 84 runs to take his side to a commanding 175 for 6.

Despite a strong start in reply, the Royals were sent into disarray in the ninth over as Wiese took three wickets, Johnson Charles, Shai Hope and Glenn Phillips all fell within five balls. Despite a late fightback from Holder and Hayden Walsh, it was not enough and the side finished on 154 for 8. 

Saint Lucia Kings had reshuffled their batting order for this game, with Mark Deyal opening, yet it was to have little effect as both Andre Fletcher and Deyal were back in the pavilion after three overs, with Amir once again getting early wickets. It was left to du Plessis to build a big score, scoring 84 from 54 balls, partnering effectively with Tim David. A late cameo from Keemo Paul with the bat saw the Kings reach a substantial total. 

The Royals lost Kyle Mayers in the third over but rebuilt with Charles and Hope looking confident at the crease. However, after three wickets fell in an over, they were unable to recover, losing more wickets as the run rate increased, notably Holder, who was looking dangerous on 34 runs off 24 balls. A rain delay saw their innings reduced by one over, and Walsh resumed play with a few boundaries to keep his side’s hopes alive. However, Wiese struck again and took Walsh’s wicket in the 19th over, his fifth wicket of the game,  giving the Kings the crucial win.

With this loss, Barbados Royals can no longer qualify for Tuesday’s semi-finals and will be playing for pride when they face the Saint Lucia Kings once again in their final group game tomorrow.

The Tallawahs won the toss and chose to bat first, despite losing early wickets to the spin of Ashmead Nedd and George Linde, a 62 run seventh wicket partnership between Shamar Springer and Fabian Allen hauled the side to a formidable 178/7 after 20 overs. 

Despite a valiant 65 from Yannic Cariah, St Kitts & Nevis Patriots were bowled out for 119, Mohammad Amir taking 4 wickets in a brilliant spell and ensuring the Tallawahs won by 59 runs.  

The Jamaican franchise were restricted in the PowerPlay by the bowling of Sheldon Cottrell and Ashmead Nedd, with the latter taking the wickets of Brandon King and Kirk McKenzie to leave the Tallahwahs reeling at 31-2 at the end of the powerplay. When spinner George Linde took two wickets in successive deliveries in the following over, the Tallawahs found themselves in crisis at 34-4. 

However Raymon Reifer, Shamar Springer and Fabian Allen would all contribute with runs for the remainder of the innings, as the Tallawahs scored 72 runs from the final 5 overs to reach 178/7. The Patriots fell behind the over rate and were given a red card for the final over, with Cariah leaving the field.   

The Patriots lost their experienced openers Evin Lewis and Andre Fletcher in the PowerPlay,  while big hitters Will Smeed and Sherfane Rutherford would lose their wickets shortly afterwards, with Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim bowling superbly. Yannic Cariah would score 65 off just 40 balls, his highest score in T20 cricket, but it was to be in vain as the Patriots were bowled out for 119, ending their CPL campaign with a 59 run loss.

Jamaica Tallawahs return to CPL action tomorrow morning where they will be taking on the Saint Lucia Kings.

The tournament gets underway on 16 August with the final taking place on 24 September. There will be matches in Barbados, Guyana, St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago.  

The Tallawahs, the defending champions, have retained the following players: Brandon King, Fabian Allen, Shamarh Brooks, Raymon Reifer, Amir Jangoo, Shamar Springer, Nicholson Gordon, Kirk McKenzie and Joshua James.

The three-time champions have also brought in Hayden Walsh Jr who was transferred from the Barbados Royals.  

Krishna Persaud, owner of the Jamaica Tallawahs, said: “We are delighted to be the defending champions, but that was last year. Now we will focus on this year's team as we look forward to another great tournament. We are excited and our team will seek to defend the CPL championship.” 

The Royals, who have won a pair of CPL titles themselves, have retained the following players: Jason Holder, Kyle Mayers, Obed McCoy, Rakheem Cornwall, Justin Greaves, Joshua Bishop, Nyeem Young and Ramon Simmonds. 

The Royals have also brought in Rovman Powell who was transferred from the Jamaica Tallawahs. 

The overseas players and draft picks will be announced during the Republic Bank CPL draft show which will be broadcast at the end of June.

In the end, it proved to be a reversed performance of sorts for Simmons, when considering the Knight Riders' previous Caribbean Premier League (CPL) campaign.  Last season, he started the competition well but went missing in the later rounds.  His 1 run against the Tridents, in the semi-finals, perhaps set the stage for the team's loss.

One season later, after a poor start to the competition, Simmons is free to bellow his redemption song.  His 54 from 44 in the semi-final and 84 from 49 in the final game, played a big role in the Knight Riders not only lifting the title but achieving a historic unbeaten season.

“Last year I did well in the prelims and when it came to the semi-finals, I didn’t get a score and we ended up losing the game.  So, I took the responsibility upon myself to make sure we got it over the line this time," Simmons said following the game.

“I did not start the tournament well, but I ended well, and I am happy with my performance,” he added.

Simmons finished the tournament as the top runs getter with a total of 356.

The two promising players, batting all-rounder, Mavindra Dindyal and fast bowling sensation, Isai Thorne have demonstrated outstanding skills, dedication and potential in their cricketing career. The selection process was rigorous with the franchise keen on aiding the development of young Guyanese players.

“We are delighted to welcome Mavindra and Isai to the Warriors family,” Chairman of the franchise, Dr. Bobby Ramroop said while continuing, “their exceptional talents and passion for the game has truly impressed us. We believe this exposure will contribute significantly to their development and their addition is a testament to our commitment in fostering young talents and providing a platform for them to shine.”

Both Dindyal and Thorne have garnered attention for their remarkable performances at the grassroots level and junior regional levels, demonstrating their prowess with bat and ball. Both players have featured in the recently concluded Cricket West Indies Under-19 regional tournament with Dindyal scoring over 300 runs with a best of 94 while Thorne, who has represented West Indies at the Youth World Cup, is widely regarded as one of the fastest bowlers in the region at the youth level.

“I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity,” Dindyal related. He noted, “Joining the Amazon Warriors has been a dream come true and I am excited to learn from some of the best players in the game.”

Thorne equally expressed his enthusiasm to be part of the set up and highlighted, “being part of the Warriors is an honor. I look forward to giving my best and learning as much as possible.”

CPL bowls off on August 16 but heads to Guyana on September 12 with Warriors facing Jamaica Tallawahs (September 13), Saint Lucia Kings (September 14), Trinbago Knight Riders (September 16) and Barbados Royals (September 17).

The playoffs will begin with the first eliminator on September 19 followed by the Qualifier 1 on September 20 and Qualifier 2 on September 22. The final is set for September 24.

All matches in Guyana will be played at the National Stadium, Providence.

They have 15 confirmed players for the 2024 season and will have two emerging player spots to fill at the draft in July. 

The Knight Riders have signed Australian batter Tim David for the 2024 season. David has had success in the CPL in the past with the Saint Lucia Kings.

They have also secured the services of experienced and explosive England international Jason Roy who is set for his first taste of the CPL.

Roy is one of the world’s most travelled T20 players boasting stats of 9244 runs in 360 matches including six hundreds and 60 fifties at a strike rate of 141.60. 

USA international Ali Khan and Afghan spinner Waqar Salamkheil will return to the franchise for the 2024 season. The Knight Riders have also signed Ireland left arm seamer Josh Little who recently became the first Irish man to play in the IPL with the Gujarat Titans.

The Knight Riders have retained the core of Caribbean players that took them to the final at the 2023 tournament with Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine and Nicholas Pooran all back with the Trinidad franchise. 

The full list of retained and signed players for the Knight Riders are as follows: Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Nicholas Pooran, Keacy Carty, Tim David, Josh Little, Terrence Hinds, Mark Deyal, Jason Roy, Dwayne Bravo, Waqar Salamkheil, Jayden Seales.

TKR, the most successful team in the history of the Caribbean Premier League with four titles, finished bottom of the league stage last year and failed to make the playoffs for the first time.

Simmons has previous coaching experience in the CPL as well and, in his most recent stint, he won the title with Barbados Royals, who were then known as Barbados Tridents.

Simmons has had two stints as head coach of West Indies, with his most recent one ending with their tour of Australia in December last year. He then went on to coach Dubai Capitals in the inaugural season of the International League T20, leading them to the playoffs.

"As captain, I'm very excited to have coach Phil with us. We have a great chemistry working together as a pair," Knight Riders captain Kieron Pollard said.

"We've done it in the international scene, and it's great that we are getting the opportunity to work for TKR. Hopefully, this combination will bring smiles and some exciting results back to TKR," he added.

Apart from West Indies, Simmons has also coached Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan.

CPL 2023 gets underway on August 16, with Knight Riders playing their first game on August 19 against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.

The Patriots won the toss and opted to field first and that initially appeared to be an inspired decision when the Warriors were restricted to 55-4 inside the first seven overs. But excellent batting at the backend by Keemo Paul and Romario Shepherd, in particular, powered the Warriors to an imposing 186-6

In reply, the Patriots wobbled from the start and were never able to recover, much less to get close to the victorious total, as they were bowled out for a paltry 88.

Scores: Guyana Amazon Warriors 186-6 (20 overs); St Kitts and Nevis Patriots 88 all out (17.1 overs)

The Amazon Warriors initially had a good start to the Powerplay, racing to 32 inside the first three overs, before Oshane Thomas struck twice in the fourth over to restore some semblance of parity to the game. brought the Patriots into the game.

He had Saim Ayub (21) caught on the boundary and Hazratullah Zazai (seven) caught by wicketkeeper Andre Fletcher.

Two wickets became four when George Linde dismissed Azam Khan (six) and Thomas returned to pick up Shai Hope's scalp for 13, to leave the Amazon Warriors in trouble at 55-4.

However, the Guyanese pair of Shimron Hetmyer and Paul put on a 57-run partnership to rebuild the innings, before Dominic Drakes dismissed Hetmyer for a well-played 22-ball 36, which included three sixes and one four.

Dwaine Pretorius and Paul combined to put together another 48 from 31 balls to ensure the Warriors entered the backend of the innings with significant momentum. The former eventually fell for 27, but Shepherd came and slammed three sixes and a four in a seven-ball cameo of 27 to leave the Patriots an imposing 187 for victory. 

Paul ended unbeaten on 41 off 31 balls, his innings also had three sixes and a four.

Thomas was the pick of the Patriots bowlers with three for 26 from three overs.

The Patriots would have backed themselves to get to their target, but some poor shot selection made the task even more difficult than it was before. They lost Andre Fletcher (11), Evin Lewis (seven), Will Smeed (two) and Sherfane Rutherford (two), inside the PowerPlay and continued to lose wickets at regular intervals.

Chris Bosch with a run-a-ball 27 was the only batsman to offer any real resistance, against Pretorius's three for 17 and Gudakesh Motie's two for 15, as the Warriors romped to a third-straight win and remain the only unbeaten team in the league.