Nicholas Pooran

Propelled by some lusty hitting by Nicholas Pooran and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who shared in an unbroken opening partnership of 85 in just 6.1 overs that took Deccan Gladiators past the 83-8 posted by the Chennai Braves.

Pooran began slowly but eventually got going smashing three sixes and three fours in his unbeaten knock of 35 off 19 balls. Kohler-Cadmore was even more ruthless clubbing five fours and three sixes in his score of 44 also from 19 balls to propel the Deccan Gladiators to their third win in five games and first after back-to-back losses.

Despite the powerful hitting from their batters, it was the bowling of Andre Russell, that earned him the Player of the Match award. Russell took 2-12 from his two overs dismissing openers Jason Roy for 15 and Kobe Herft for four.

Both batters were caught by Nuwan Thusara, who was also among the wickets with 2-26.

Stephen Eskinazi, who was the best of the was run out by Andre Fletcher for with 25 from 14 balls with three fours.

Pooran hit five fours and eight sixes in his 111 that came from just 82 balls and was instrumental in getting the Red Force to 312-6, the highest score in the competition this season.

Chasing 313 for victory, Barbados were restricted to 302-8 despite an incredibly valiant 130 not out from 79 balls by Roshon Primus, his highest List A score.

The Pride were in early trouble at 13-2 in the fourth over after Shannon Gabriel had Zachary McCaskie caught at slip for one before returning to bowl Kyle Hope for four. The Pride slipped into further trouble at 45-3 when Sunil Narine had Shai Hope caught behind for 24.

Johnathan Carter and Nicholas Kirton got Barbados back on track with a 63-run partnership that got them to 108 when Shannon Gabriel picked up his third wicket, having Carter caught at deep backward point by Jason Mohammed for 45.

Kirton did not last much longer.

Fourteen balls and 10 runs later, he was caught by Narine off the bowling of Yanick Cariah for 35 leaving Barbados sinking fast at 118-5, still 195 runs behind.

When Shamar Springer was trapped lbw by Imran Khan for five, all seemed lost for Barbados, who at this point were 146-6.

However, Roshon Primus and Akeem Jordan were not ready to give up. Together they put together a run-a-ball 93 runs for the seventh wicket before things unraveled for Barbados for the final time. Jordan was run out off the first ball of Gabriel's eighth over for 33. Gabriel then picked up his fourth wicket next ball when he bowled Jomel Warrican for a duck and suddenly Barbados, who were 239-6 had slipped to 239-8.

Primus continued to resist. Consecutive sixes and a boundary in the 45th over bowled by Terrance Hinds brought Primus his maiden List A century from just 61 balls.

With 17 needed from the final over being bowled by Shannon Gabriel, Primus hit the first ball for four but three dot balls followed, meaning Barbados needed 13 from two deliveries. Primus took two from the fifth and the match was over. Primus' unbeaten knock included 10 fours and nine sixes and with Camarie Boyce (13 not), he put on 63 for the ninth wicket but it was simply not enough.

Shannon Gabriel was the best of the Red Force bowlers finishing with 4-43.

 Batting first, T&T Red Force were in early trouble losing two wickets inside three overs after Akeem Jordan dismissed Kjorn Ottley for one and Jason Mohammed for a duck with consecutive deliveries. The early dismissals brought Jangoo and Bravo together and they put on 92 for the third wicket before Bravo was caught at fine leg by Jomel Warrican off the bowling of Springer for 54 in the 24^th over.

His dismissal brought Pooran to the crease and he immediately went after the bowling playing some injudicious shots and was fortunate not be dismissed early on. However, as he settled into his innings, he pummeled the bowling racing to 50 in just 41 balls. He put on 147 with Jangoo before the latter was caught by Jordan off Springer for 81 in the 44^th over. Pooran was eventually dismissed in the 46^th trying to hit Springer for six.

With the score 256-5, 300 looked on the cards and the Red Force duly obliged thanks to a sparkling cameo from Akeal Hosein who smashed 42 from just 20 deliveries. He hit three fours and three sixes in a 53-run sixth-wicket stand with Terrance Hinds before he was caught by Jordan off Springer in the final over.

Hinds was not out on nine and Sunil Narine on two at the end.

Springer finished with 4-64 from nine overs while Jordan returned figures of 2-31 from his allotment of 10 overs.

Nicholas Pooran delivered a masterclass in power-hitting as he hammered an unbeaten 66 off just 33 balls to lead Northern Superchargers to a thrilling seven-wicket victory over Manchester Originals in The Hundred on Sunday.

Pooran's explosive innings, highlighted by eight towering sixes, turned the tide in a match that seemed to be slipping away from the Superchargers at various points.

The Superchargers, chasing 153 for victory, found themselves in a precarious position at 29 for 2, needing over 100 runs with more than half the innings gone. The situation was made even more daunting by a suspected hamstring injury to Ben Stokes which forced him to leave the field.

Despite the early setbacks, Pooran, who has been in scintillating form throughout the tournament, stepped up to the challenge. He walked in with everything to do and proceeded to unleash a brutal assault on the Originals' bowlers. Alongside Harry Brook, who contributed a crucial 43, and Adam Hose, Pooran methodically dismantled the opposition's attack, ensuring that the Superchargers stayed alive in the competition.

The Originals, led by Phil Salt's blistering 61, had earlier posted 152 for 7, riding on the momentum of the highest-ever Powerplay score in the competition. However, the Superchargers' spinners, led by Mitchell Santner with figures of 3 for 24, pulled things back, restricting the Originals to a manageable total.

The chase, though steep, was made to look routine by Pooran's brilliance. The West Indian powerhouse demonstrated his ability to take the game away from the opposition with clean hitting and smart rotation of strike. Brook and Hose provided valuable support, ensuring that the Superchargers crossed the line with 62 balls to spare.

Reflecting on his match-winning knock, Pooran said, "It's definitely one of my better innings, knowing the situation of the game. Walking into bat with 100+ runs to get, and in this format, it creeps up on you very fast, but I was really happy that I could contribute and be there to the end."

He added, "You don't win tournaments with just one person contributing. It's really good when your teammates can contribute, and hopefully, we can go to our game on Tuesday and fight. If we lost the game today, we'd be out of the tournament. I'm happy that I could be there to the end, contribute, get the win for the team, and hopefully, the result will be the same again on Tuesday."

The victory keeps the Superchargers' hopes alive as they prepare to face London Spirit in a must-win game at Headingley on Tuesday.

Russell's explosive performance saw him smashing six sixes, propelling the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders to a challenging total of 188-5 in their allotted 20 overs.

The powerful Jamaican all-rounder, known for his aggressive batting style, showcased his prowess and took ADKR to a competitive position after contributions from Matthew Pepper (38), Alishan Sharafu (37), and Sam Hain (40). However, the bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi emerged as a formidable obstacle, restricting the scoring with a solid 3-35 in his four-over spell.

Despite Russell's heroics with the bat, his bowling performance was in stark contrast. Conceding 33 runs in the three overs he bowled, Russell found himself unable to contain the MI Emirates' batting onslaught.

MI Emirates, with their eye on the chase, approached the target with determination and skill. Kusal Perera led the charge, racing to a blistering 54 from just 26 balls, while Nicholas Pooran added a quick-fire 33 from 19 balls. However, the standout performance came from Muhammad Waseem, whose remarkable knock of 89 from 62 balls propelled MI Emirates to a comprehensive victory.

The MI Emirates' batsmen displayed remarkable control and execution, ensuring that they reached the target with six balls to spare. The win also extended their lead atop the league table, moving to eight points.

They are four clear of Dubai Capitals, Gulf Giants and ADKR who each have four points.

After winning the toss, the Warriors restricted the Bulls to 81 for 9 in 10 overs.  Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Evin Lewis got things off to a flier, after scoring 16 runs off the first over.  The innings soon lost momentum after Gurbaz’s mistimed shot was taken at cover and Lewis was gobbled up by Powell.  In the end, Mohammad Nabi top-scored with a 10-ball 21 for the Bulls.  Maheesh Theekshana starred with the ball for the Warriors after claiming 3 for 14.

In pursuit of a gettable target, Warriors skipper and in-form batsman Nicholas Pooran took responsibility by promoting himself up the order.  He was, however, dismissed lbw by Fidel Edwards on 12.  Simmons and Waseem Muhammad, however, kept the scoreboard ticking over.  Opener Muhammad scored 27 off 22 but was dismissed before Powell (16 from 8) and Simmons (14 from 12) finished the proceedings.

Powell hit the winning runs with a huge six with 10 balls left.  Theekshana received the Man of the Match award while Pooran was named Man of the Series.  Northern Warriors are the first team to win the trophy twice.

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.

Amazon Warriors’ captain Chris Green won the toss and chose to field, and bowled Kieran Powell sixth ball of the match. Kevin Sinclair got the second over on his senior T20 debut and went for just a single. While Evin Lewis took Green for 10 off two balls, he chopped on to become Sinclair’s first career T20 wicket.

Ben Dunk started with an edged four off Green, and Joshua da Silva was busy at the crease. But three singles were all the two could manage as Sinclair bowled a third in a row, and after the Powerplay, the Patriots were 33/2.
Imran Tahir nearly had Da Silva stumped, but a swept four by Dunk saw the over go for 8. Sinclair bowled out in one go, and with 17 dots and no boundaries, it was a fine first T20 spell. Tahir’s second went for just three, and Dunk lost patience against Green and was bowled to leave the Patriots 51/3 at the drinks break.

Ashmead Nedd came on, and off the 25th ball, he had faced Da Silva finally found the boundary. Da Silva found the fence off Nedd again, and when Keemo Paul came on to break a run of 13 straight overs of spin the Patriots were 69/3.

Da Silva attacked Paul, hitting his first-two career T20 sixes, the first a loft over the bowler’s head and the second a pull into the stands. He continued to hit powerfully down the ground, although Nedd dropped a sharp caught-and-bowled chance, and Ramdin joined in with a Hero Maximum over midwicket.

Da Silva drove Tahir, who for once went wicketless, over cover, and off Naveen’s first ball brought up his first T20 half-century off 42 balls. He used Naveen’s pace to close the 17th over with back to back fours, and with three overs left the Patriots had moved to 118/3. Romario Shepherd though broke the stand, bowling the impressive Da Silva with an excellent yorker.

Ramdin improvised to hit Paul for six, but Sohail Tanvir was caught napping and Paul ran him out. Shepherd started and ended the 20th with good yorkers, but in between Nedd didn’t even get a hand on a swirling Ramdin top edge and the Patriots keeper smashed a Hero Maximum to get the Patriots to their highest score of Hero CPL 2020.

Brandon King edged an Alzarri Joseph yorker past the stumps for four but was fully in control of a cover drive in the same over. King’s latest opening partner, Sinclair, was scratchy; he was dropped off by Tanvir off his own bowling and was lucky to survive a maiden from Imran Khan, That put pressure on King who skied a Joseph bouncer to give Ramdin a simple catch.

Sinclair’s dismissal followed soon after, chipping softly back to the bowler Jon-Russ Jaggesar, who followed up with the wicket of Shimron Hetmyer who top-edged a cut to Ramdin. After the Powerplay, the Amazon Warriors were 26/3 and in need of a partnership between Pooran and Taylor. They got one, and how.

Pooran hit two Hero Maximums over Jaggesar’s head and Taylor pulled a third hard and flat off Emrit, but at halfway the Amazon Warriors still needed over nine an over. Pooran sensed the urgency, hammering Imran for four then six over the off-side and closing with an enormous six over midwicket to take 18 off the 11th.

Pooran didn’t relent, dismissing Jaggesar over long-off and slicing Joseph behind square to bring up 50 off just 25 balls. Another four made it 12 off the over, and the Amazon Warriors had surged to 99/3 off 13 and the rate had fallen to under seven-and-a-half.

Ish Sodhi did well to only go for six off his first over, including two byes, and Emrit also went boundary-less. But Pooran made the equation far easier with a slog-sweep clean over the fence, his sixth Hero Maximum, as Sodhi’s second over went for 11.

Emrit called for Tanvir, but Pooran launched him over his head for a Hero Maximum to bring up the first hundred partnership by any team in Hero CPL 2020 and followed up with a fierce pull for four to leave the Amazon Warriors needing 16 off the last 18 balls.

Fittingly, Pooran sealed the victory with 15 balls to spare and reached his century by hammering three sixes in a row off Sodhi. The Patriots’ batting showed promise, but it looks a struggle now for them to make the semi-finals.

 (Guyana Amazon Warriors 153/3 (Pooran 100*, Taylor 25*, King 14; Jaggesar 2/33, Joseph 1/24) beat St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 150/5 (da Silva 59, Ramdin 37*, Dunk 19; Green 2/31, Sinclair 1/9, Shepherd 1/13) by 7 wickets)

Upcoming Fixture: Tuesday 1 September - Match 21: Jamaica Tallawahs v Trinbago Knight Riders (10am), Brian Lara Cricket Academy

In match reduced by rain to 40 overs, Pooran scored an unbeaten 99 and Darren Bravo 67 not out sharing in an unbeaten fourth-wicket partnership of 155 as TT Red Force cruised to 249-3 (D/L). The West Indies white-ball captain scored his runs from just 71 balls and hit 11 fours and two sixes along the way. Bravo hit nine fours in his 63-ball knock.

Opener Kjorn Ottley made 43 for the Trinidad franchise while partnering in a 49-run second-wicket stand with Jason Mohammed, who made 25. Ottley was eventually dismissed after putting on 13 for the third partnership of 13 with Bravo, who would find a match-winning partner in Pooran.

Justin Greaves was the best of the Windward bowlers with 2-55. Preston McSween took 1-57.

Earlier, the Windwards recovered from a precarious 36-4 in the seventh over after Akeal Hosein 2-37 and Shannon Gabriel 1-36 did the early damage.

The owed their recovery to an unbeaten knocks of 90 from Sunil Ambris and 68 from Andre Fletcher, who shared in an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 165 that took the team to 201-4 from their 40 overs.

Unfortunately, thanks to Pooran and company it proved not to be enough.

After winning the toss and electing to field first, the MI New York bowlers dominated the Orcas batting, restricting them to 108 all out off 19.1 overs.

Shubham Ranjane (35), Harmeet Singh (20) and Aaron Jones (12) were the only batsmen to reach double figures for the Orcas against 3-22 and 3-25 from eight overs combined from superstars Rashid Khan and Trent Boult, respectively.

Captain Kieron Pollard also chipped in with 2-11 from his 2.1 overs.

It then took MI New York only 14.2 overs to reach 111-4 with Pooran finishing 62* off 37 balls, his 41^st T20 half-century.

His knock included seven fours and two sixes.

Full Scores:

Seattle Orcas 108 all out off 19.1 overs (Shubham Ranjane 35, Rashid Khan 3-22, Trent Boult 3-25)

MI New York 111-4 off 14.2 overs (Nicholas Pooran 62*, Cameron Gannon 2-40)

Nicholas Pooran got his second fifty in as many games as the Lucknow Super Giants secured a dominant five-wicket win over the Sunrisers Hyderabad in TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) action at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday.

Powell, who was appointed in February following the sudden resignation of Nicholas Pooran, has so far guided West Indies to T20 International triumphs away to South Africa, as well as home wins against India and more recently England.

The accomplishment not only ensured West Indies ends the year unbeaten in a series, but more importantly, serves as a solid platform on which they can build ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup to be hosted jointly by the Caribbean and United States.

“I think I just have a good bunch of guys around me. I have a very good support staff and the guys respect me and they trust me and trust my judgement. And also, I try to lead from the front. I think as a captain once you lead from the front then naturally guys will follow,” Powell said after West Indies topped England 3-2 at the end of a five-match series in Trinidad and Tobago.

Despite being young at heart at 30 years old, Powell boast extensive captaincy experience. He led Jamaica Tallawahs to the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) title last year in his third year in charge full-time, and also captained Jamaica to the Regional Super50 title in 2022. He has previously deputised for West Indies in three One-day Internationals (ODIs) and one T20I.

A month after taking the reins, Powell saw West Indies to a 2-1 series win over South Africa, and they followed that up with a 3-2 victory over India in August.

With their latest success coming against reigning World champions England, Powell said it provides a significant boost in confidence, as West Indies continued their preparation for next year’s T20 showpiece.

Powell has won eight of his 13 matches in charge while averaging 36 with the bat – well above his career average of 25.

“It also gives us confidence [and] confidence for me personally. I try to lead and lead from the front. Once I’m doing what I have to do as a batter first, then the captaincy will take care of itself,” the soft-spoken Jamaican shared.

“I realise as a captain once you’re doing your job, then your decision-making becomes sharper, you don’t second guess yourself when you come under pressure,” he added.

Meanwhile, Powell’s compatriot Andre Russell, also endorsed his leadership.

“I support him a hundred per cent. As the captain, even though he looks up to me, I’m not going to tell him ‘Ok, you need to do this, and you have to do this.’ I respect him as a leader and he’s been doing tremendously so far for the team and for himself,” Russell said.

“I think the confidence he has as a captain and as a player batting-wise, then working with his instinct, [making] bowling changes, making crucial decisions. He managed us as bowlers very well, so hats off to him for that. I don’t need to say much to him – he’s doing a good job,” the electrifying all-rounder added.

Powell hit four fours and five sixes in his unbeaten 68 from 36 balls and Pooran 62 that included five fours and three sixes from 42 balls in a partnership of 101 runs that ended midway the 19^th over when Pooran was dismissed going for a bit hit with the West Indies still 27 runs from their target.

The pair came together after coming together with the score at 59-2 with Brandon King (22) and Kyle Mayers (9) back in the hutch after 8.3 overs.

Needing 25 from the last over, Powell gave the West Indies hope with consecutive sixes off Harshal Patel to leave the West Indies needing 11 from the final two deliveries. However, those deliveries yielded just two runs and the West Indies were short of their target.

The West Indies won the toss and sent India to bat. Their bowlers restricted India to 72-3 inside in the 10^th over. Sheldon Cottrell dismissed Ishan Kishan for 2 before Roston Chase removed Rohit Sharma for 19, Suryakumar Yadav for eight and the dangerous Virat Kohli for 52 as India rushed to 106-4.

A 76-run partnership between Player of the Match Risbah Pant, 52 not out from 28 balls and Venkatesh Iyer (33) then powered India to their total of 186-5.

Chase finished with figures of 3-25 but the other bowlers let the West Indies down. Jason Holder conceded 45 from his four overs, including 14 from his last over, while Sheldon Cottrell who had only given up five runs from his first two overs, conceded 15 in his third and final over for figures of 1-20.

Pollard’s only over yielded 14 runs.

The 25-year-old Trinidadian raced to 77 from just 37 balls smashing seven massive sixes and five fours as KXIP chased the 201 set by Sunrisers Hyderabad in their 20 overs.

The ninth over of the KXIP was especially memorable for the 28 runs Pooran scored off the bowling of Abdul Samad’s leg-break deliveries.

Pooran smashed four sixes and a four in the over. He slammed the fourth ball over long off for the third six in the over that brought up his 50 in just 17 balls, the fastest so far this season.

Moody, the former all-rounder turned commentator and administrator, has been watching Pooran for a number of years now in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and in the IPL and believes the batsman has an exciting future ahead of him.

“I don’t think there are better strikers of the ball in world cricket than Nicholas Pooran,” said Moody while speaking on T20 Timeout.

“He times the ball. He has got a wonderful bat swing. It’s a bit like Yuvraj Singh’s bat swing. It’s very long and elegant one that not only possesses a huge amount of power but incredible timing, hits the ball a long, long way and he seems to do it for fun.”

The former all-rounder continued: “I think this is just the beginning of an exciting number of years for Nicholas Pooran in IPL cricket and cricket outside the IPL.”

Agarkar, the former Indian fast bowler, was in agreement.

“Those sixes were massive sixes,” he said. “Just beautiful timing every time he hits the ball, pace and spin, it’s not one or the other, and just bats beautifully.”

Pooran has struggled to make an impact in six matches so far this season, managing just a high score of 19 and failing to score on three occasions.  Gayle has had more of a mixed performance, scoring 40 plus on two occasions but also had a series of low scores, including a golden duck in the team’s last encounter against Kolkata Knightriders.

Ojha, however, believes that the team’s top two KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal might be thinking about scoring too quickly and posting too big a target too early in the innings.

"They should think about 160-170 at first. But if you start thinking from the beginning that we have a very good batting line-up with Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran and we should aim 180-190 then you are putting undue pressure on (them),” Ojha told Cricbuzz.

"You can only think about a big score once you have got a good start. So you have to change your plans accordingly. You can't think that you have big names and they will always score runs. You have the look at the kind of form they are in too. Can't plan based on past glory," Ojha added.

The Punjab Kings made it two wins from two in the Indian Premier League, with a superb eight-wicket victory over the Lucknow Super Giants.

The 27-year-old, who took charge of the region’s white-ball teams earlier this year, made the surprise decision to step down as captain, after just 7 months on the job.

As captain of the team, Pooran had faced severe pressure following the team’s poor showing at the T20 World Cup.  The West Indies failed to advance from the first round of the competition, following losses to Scotland and Ireland.  The results led to the resignation of the team’s head coach Phil Simmons but having only just been appointed to the post, Pooran was widely expected to keep the position.

Dujon admitted to being surprised but believes the player has done the right thing given the circumstances.

“I think it’s a good thing for him.  As a young player, you have been given responsibility but things haven’t worked out for him,” Dujon told the Mason and Guest radio program.

“He still has a career ahead of him and shedding this responsibility might just help his cricket as time goes on,” he added.

Pooran captained the T20 team for 23 matches, winning 8 and losing 14 for a win ratio of 35 percent.

The Royals won the toss and opted to field first and took full advantage of that decision with their spinners Rahkeem Cornwall and Mujeeb Ur Rahman causing havoc upfront.

Four wickets fell in the first seven overs and the Knight Riders struggled to get back into the game. 

Nicholas Pooran put up a valiant fight with a battling half-century but the 132 they posted was short of a competitive total. 

If there were any lingering doubts in the Royals' minds about chasing the total in front of a raucous Queens Park Oval, Kyle Mayers didn’t read the script. He hit a blistering 79 to stun the home crowd and lead the Royals to a comfortable win.

The Queens Park Oval was silenced inside the PowerPlay as the Royals took out the Knight Riders' top order.

 Cornwall and the debuting Mujeeb Ur Rahman dismissed Tion Webster, Colin Munro and Tim Seifert in quick succession to leave Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard with a major rescue job on their hands.

 When Pollard fell to Ur Rahman straight after the PowerPlay all looked lost for the Knight Riders but Pooran and Sunil Narine put together a fine rebuilding partnership to leave the home team well set at 100-4 with five overs to go.

 However, when Obed McCoy bowled Pooran for a well-constructed 52 off 44 balls, that signalled the end of the Knight Riders' fight back. The remaining batters stuttered their way to a total of 132 which was not enough against the irresistible Barbados Royals.

 If the Knight Riders were going to have a chance then a lot depended on taking wickets in the PowerPlay, Daryn Dupavillon provided the early joy clean bowling Cornwall for 1.

 But that was to be as good as it got as the Hero CPL leading run scorer, Kyle Mayers, hit a stunning 79 from 35 balls to guide the Royals to the edge of victory. 

 Corbin Bosch and Quinton De Kock saw out the remaining runs with minimum fuss to ensure the Royals remain unbeaten. 

Scores: Barbados Royals 136-2 (Mayers 79, Bosch 33*; Dupavillon 2-30) beat Trinbago Knight Riders 132 (Pooran 52, Narine 30; Ur Rahman 3-17, Cornwall 2-27) by 8 wickets

India's captain was rested for the 3-0 one-day international whitewash of the Windies, but will be back in action at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy,

Shikhar Dhawan skippered the tourists as his fellow opener was given a rest for the 50-over contests.

Rohit will expect India to maintain their momentum when the series gets under way in Tarouba, Trinidad, with the T20 World Cup in Australia on the horizon.

India have won five and drawn one of their past six series in the shortest format, beating England most recently.

They are top of the rankings and have shown their strength in depth amid a hectic schedule.

Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal have been rested for this series along with out-of-sorts former captain Virat Kohli, but the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav are back.

West Indies beat Bangladesh 2-0 in their last T20I series, but India consigned them to a 3-0 clean sweep in February.

Nicholas Pooran has endured a difficult start to his tenure as Windies white-ball skipper and his side face another big challenge in a series that includes two matches in Florida.

Yadav primed for more heroics

Suryakumar Yadav made a match-winning 117 when India beat England in the T20I decider at Trent Bridge.

With fierce competition in the middle order and Kohli absent, Yadav will see this series as another opportunity to cement his spot.

Windies batters must show consistency

Despite being beaten by India in all three ODIs, West Indies twice posted over 300.

They must show a consistency that has been lacking as they build towards the World Cup, led by Pooran, who has certainly not been short of runs as skipper and was man of the series in the T20I series success over the Tigers.

It was not always plain sailing for India, but in the end they closed out a comfortable victory that owed much to captain Rohit Sharma, debutant Ravi Bishnoi and Suryakumar Yadav.

West Indies had earlier reached 157-7 over their 20 overs, an innings that began poorly as Brandon King fell for just four to Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1-31) in the first over – though Kyle Mayers (31) and Nicholas Pooran (61) soon found the tourists some momentum.

After their respective wickets, West Indies really struggled to build up a head of steam again. Bishnoi (2-17) claimed the scalps of Roston Chase (four) and Rovman Powell (two) as the 21-year-old enjoyed a miserly outing on his debut.

Kieron Pollard (24 not out) at least restored a little dignity, but he had little help around him, thus setting India a reachable target.

Rohit's 40 off 19 gave India the start they needed, and Ishan Kishan (35 off 42) proved a solid – if pragmatic – partner until both were undone by Chase's (2-14) bowling.

Fabian Allen (1-23) and Sheldon Cottrell (1-35) then saw to Virat Kohli (17) and Rishabh Pant (eight), respectively, with both batsmen feeling somewhat aggrieved by the decisions.

But any suggestion of West Indies still having a chance were emphatically washed away by Suryakumar (34 not out) and Venkatesh Iyer (24 not out), who eased the hosts over the line at 162-4 with seven balls to spare.

Bishnoi makes his mark

Bishnoi initially looked nervous, throwing three wides in his first over. But he quickly adjusted his focus, posting impressive numbers as he dismissed Chase and Powell.

Speaking afterwards, he said: "The nerves are settled now. I was feeling very good, it's everyone's dream to play for India and I was feeling good. West Indies is one of the best T20 teams and I got the chance to play against them. I'll try to cut down on the wides in the next match!"

Pooran's efforts in vain

Were it not for Pooran's efforts, this would have been an even worse start to the three-match series for the Windies. His 61 with the bat was undoubtedly the highlight of their innings, with Pollard very aware that his side were otherwise disappointing.

Pollard said: "Getting down to the 19th over was good on the part of the bowlers. If I'm being honest, between overs six to 15 we scored too few runs. We were 15-20 runs short."

India batsman Rohit surpassed the milestone with the very first ball he faced, clipping a wide outswinger from Mohammed Shami through the cover region. 

It set the tone for a sublime innings, with the right-hander reaching 70 off 45 balls, striking eight boundaries and three sixes. 

 A late flurry from Kieron Pollard (47), set Kings XI a target of 192 – a total they never threatened to reach despite the efforts of Nicholas Pooran, who scored 44 on the eve of his 25th birthday. 

Mumbai – who lost their last match following a super over – saw Quinton de Kock depart for a duck from the fifth delivery of the game. 

Rohit swiftly set about taking the initiative, and struck two fours from the second over, before he successfully overturned a leg before wicket decision after the technology deemed Mohammed Shami's delivery was heading down the leg side. 

When Pollard was positive from the outset on his arrival at the crease, Rohit stepped up, hitting 21 off a James Neesham over, while four sixes in the 20th helped the Indians reach 191-4. 

Kings XI began speedily enough in response, yet the first of two Jasprit Bumrah wickets saw Mayank Agarwal removed for 25 in the fifth over. 

Pooran was soon at the crease and tallied three fours and two maximums, although captain and opener KL Rahul could not stick around to provide a steady partner, departing for 17. 

Glenn Maxwell helped Pooran take the chasing side past 100, but Kings XI's star man perished when James Pattinson found his outside edge, a huge wicket that left the West Indian’s team-mates with too much to do as three were out for single figures. 

ROHIT PUNISHES NEESHAM 

It was a torrid day with the ball for Neesham, who finished with figures of 0-52 from four overs. 

Neesham attempted successive yorkers in the costly 16th over, with Rohit dispatching both of them to the boundary, yet things got worse when the Mumbai skipper pulled the next delivery over square for six, with the fifth ball of the over also heading over the ropes. 

NO PARTY FOR POORAN 

It looked for a brief time as though Pooran might be about to have a birthday to remember as he threatened a fightback. 

He did the heavy lifting in partnerships of 21 with Rahul and then 41 with Maxwell, yet his departure in the 14th over sparked a collapse as those further down the order failed to pack the same punch.