Jemimah Rodrigues lifted Trinbago Knight Riders into the 2024 Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) final after a nerve-jangling four-wicket victory over Barbados Royals at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad. Chasing 131 for a place in Thursday's final, Knight Riders were in big trouble at 43-3 before Rodrigues stepped up with an unbeaten 59 off 50 balls.

The Knight Riders needed six runs off the final over, but a calm Rodrigues hit Hayley Matthews for a boundary on the third delivery before a single on the next ball ensured their title dreams remained alive. In what turned out to be a dress rehearsal for the final, Knight Riders were 43-3 but capitalized on sloppy fielding from Royals. Rodrigues received a life on 43 when Djenaba Joseph fumbled at short fine leg.

The Knight Riders' attack had struggled in the tournament, but bowled superbly in the PowerPlay to tear into the Royals' top-order. Opener Chamari Athapaththu spearheaded a recovery with 70 off 63 to lift Royals to 130-7 but it ultimately wasn't enough.

Royals had already clinched a place in the final after winning their opening three matches. But it was high stakes for Knight Riders, who entered the match sitting behind Guyana Amazon Warriors on net run rate. Play was slightly delayed due to rain and the Knight Riders were desperate to make the most of the favourable bowling conditions after winning the toss.

Seamer Shikha Pandey enjoyed the perfect start after nicking off Matthews in the first over with a full delivery that moved late.

Qiana Joseph lived dangerously and rode her luck after being dropped by Jess Jonassen at mid-off. But Joseph's risky innings soon ended when she bottom edged a wild slash off Shamilia Connell, whose spectacular debut for Knight Riders continued when she clean bowled Aaliyah Alleyne for a duck.

Athapaththu held the innings together, but could not getting going as Royals fell into a lull. The frustrations led to Rashada Williams being dismissed by spinner Samara Ramnath in the 12th over as Royals turned to big-hitter Laura Harris for a spark. But she holed out first ball leaving the burden on Athapaththu, who accelerated late as Royals finished with momentum.

Knight Riders started their chase disastrously with the early wickets of Harshitha Samarawickrama and captain Deandra Dottin. Jonassen attempted a rally, but she was run out on the last ball of the powerplay. Rodrigues and Kycia Knight cleverly worked into gaps, but struggled to hit boundaries. Knight unleashed only for Naijanni Cumberbatch to take a brilliant catch running in from the boundary.

But Rodrigues hit a boundary in the penultimate over and kept her composure as the Knight Riders celebrated their place in the final with gusto.

The Guyana Amazon Warriors claimed their first victory in the 2024 Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) with a commanding eight-wicket win over the Trinbago Knight Riders at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad. A stunning 78 off 48 balls from Erin Burns was the cornerstone of their successful chase, helping the Warriors overcome a shaky start to secure the win with 16 balls to spare.

Chasing a target of 131 in favorable batting conditions, the Warriors found themselves in early trouble at 15-2 after losing Natasha McLean and Stafanie Taylor within the first few overs. The pressure mounted as Jonassen and seamer Shikha Pandey applied the brakes, making run-scoring difficult in the powerplay.

However, Burns, alongside captain Lauren Winfield-Hill, who scored a solid 46 off 47 balls, steadied the ship with an unbroken 119-run partnership, the highest ever in the competition. The duo expertly navigated the tricky period, combining aggressive stroke play with calculated risk-taking, which paid off handsomely.

Burns, who was dropped twice during her innings, capitalized on those chances to anchor the chase. She reached her half-century off just 32 balls and continued to find the boundary with ease, particularly down the ground and through the leg side. Winfield-Hill played the perfect supporting role, rotating the strike and allowing Burns to dominate the innings.

Earlier, the Knight Riders posted a total of 130-6, a score that seemed competitive at the halfway mark. The team’s captain, Deandra Dottin, and Harshitha Samarawickrama laid a strong foundation with a half-century opening partnership. Samarawickrama, replacing the injured Meg Lanning, was particularly impressive, displaying elegant strokes and punishing anything short as she guided the team to 37-0 after the powerplay.

Despite the solid start, the Knight Riders' momentum stalled once spinner Chloe Tryon was introduced into the attack. Tryon, who finished with figures of 4-21, struck with her very first delivery, dismissing Dottin with a brilliant catch by Ashmini Munisar at gully. She then bowled Samarawickrama, who attempted a reverse sweep, and stifled the Knight Riders in the middle overs.

Jemimah Rodrigues and Jess Jonassen provided a late surge with a quick 44-run partnership, but Tryon once again swung the momentum in the Warriors' favor by removing Jonassen for 28 and then dismissing Kycia Knight in the penultimate over.

The Knight Riders' final total ultimately fell short, and the Warriors, despite the early hiccups in their chase, displayed their depth and resilience to record their first points of the tournament.

This victory will serve as a significant confidence boost for the Warriors as they look to build momentum in the competition. Both teams had entered this match desperate for a win after losing to the Barbados Royals in their opening fixtures, but it was the Warriors who emerged triumphant, thanks to Burns' heroics and Tryon's pivotal bowling performance.

Another batting masterclass from captain Hayley Matthews saw Barbados Royals overcome Trinbago Knight Riders in the second match of the 2024 Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad.

After her decisive innings of 61 not out against Guyana Amazon Warriors in the first game of the competition on Wednesday, Matthews showed again why she is one of the best in the world in the white ball format. The in-form opener struck twelve boundaries to finish unbeaten on 67 off 56 balls to see her side complete a comfortable seven wicket victory with 17 balls to spare.

Matthews started the evening well and never looked back. She won the toss for the second night in a row and chose to insert the opposition, her decision vindicated with the very first ball of the match as Chinelle Henry bowled Knight Riders opener Kycia Knight.

It was a sign of things to come as a procession of wickets fell soon after. The Knight Riders total of 113/9 never looked enough to challenge the Royals stellar batting card and so it proved when Matthews hit the winning four off Shikha Pandey from the first ball of the 18^th over. The 2023 champions have two wins from two games and look the team to beat in the early stages of this year’s WCPL.

The Royals obliterated the Knight Riders top order to leave them reeling on 57/6 at the halfway stage in the innings and it was thanks to Shikha Pandey and Zaida James that the Knight Riders reached the total that they did. A partnership of exactly 50 runs off 47 deliveries for the seventh wicket helped Deandra Dottin’s side bat out their allotted overs and post a total of 113/9.

Pandey, in particular played, well, top scoring for her side with 30 runs, her deft cuts and manipulation of the ball into the gaps was impressive in the face of tight bowling.

Matthews took a fine diving catch in the outfield and topped off a sparkling Player of the Match performance by bowling both Zaida James and Jazhara Claxton to take 2-21 with the ball.

For the second match in a row the Royals bowlers impressed and shared the wickets around, Henry, Matthews and Wellington all picking up two wickets apiece and Qiana Joseph and Aaliyah Alleyne pocketing one each. The Barbados side are firing in all departments.

The Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) generated a total economic impact of US$40,446,754 for Barbados during the 2023 tournament.  

2023 was the first time that the CPL had returned to Barbados since 2019 and the first time the country had hosted WCPL matches.  

There were six men’s matches and three Women’s matches played in Barbados between 30 August and 3 September with the games taking place at the world-famous Kensington Oval.  

The total event impact is calculated by world renowned research organisation, YouGov Sport with the final figure being based on a number of key metrics, including organizer and visitor spends on Island media as well as the commercial value generated from the extensive global TV distribution. 

One of main contributing elements was the CPL cohort, who were responsible for filling 10,951 hotel room nights in Barbados, made up by CPL’s players, coaches, administrators, TV and media crews, team owner groups, league and franchise event management teams. Other visitor groups associated to the tournament also made a significant contribution to on Island spending during the tournament.

Barbados also benefited from the tournament being broadcast around the world with CPL’s audience reaching 853.5million total viewers in 2023. As always, the tournament worked closely with BTMI to create world class content which promoted Barbados as the unique holiday destination we all know it to be. These exclusive features and vignettes were shown during the CPL matches, further promoting the tourism message.

Pete Russell, Republic Bank CPL’s CEO, said: “It was fantastic to be back in Barbados after four years away and the atmosphere at Kensington Oval was brilliant, highlighting the local and international appetite for CPL cricket. These results are great news for Barbados and we are looking forward to making an even bigger impact in 2024.”  

 Graham Clarke, Director Caribbean for Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc, said: “It is great to see the iconic Kensington Oval - the cricketing mecca of the Caribbean - hosting CPL matches again, after a brief hiatus during and immediately after the Covid 19 Pandemic. Cricket is much more than a game, it is an economy. For every dollar of revenue earned through the purchase of Bajan goods and services by visitors to our island during the week of CPL, there is a direct and multiplier effect on the people and economy of Barbados.” 

The Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) set a new record for viewership numbers in 2023. The total broadcast and digital viewership for the 2023 tournament reached 36.2million for the expanded tournament which took place in Barbados and Trinidad.

 The Massy WCPL had a 45% rise in viewership in 2023, with a huge increase in the number of fans tuning in around the world for the second season of the event.

 The seven-match tournament concluded with the Barbados Royals beating the Guyana Amazon Warriors to claim the title, with the final at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy being the most watched match.

 The tournament saw some amazing performances with New Zealand’s Sophie Devine finishing as the leading run scorer and breakout Indian star Shreyanka Patil claiming the most wickets. West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews was the player of the final with a brilliant 82 runs and two wickets as the Barbados Royals emerged victorious.

 Pete Russell, CPL’s CEO, said: “We are delighted with the viewing figures in 2023 as global interest in the women’s game continues to grow. The second edition of the WCPL surpassed all expectations in terms of interest and the quality of cricket and we are already looking forward to the 2024 event which we are certain will be even more successful.”

Johnny Grave, CEO of Cricket West Indies, said: “The growth in the interest and opportunities in women’s cricket in the Caribbean in recent years has been incredible and Cricket West Indies are very pleased with the impact WCPL has had on giving opportunities to our players to further develop their skills. To see the WCPL already showing such fantastic growth in year two is very pleasing and we are looking forward to seeing the tournament go from strength to strength in 2024 and beyond.”

 Barbados Royals finished the 2023 Massy Women’s Premier League (WCPL) season as champions after they wrapped up an eight-run final win against the Guyana Amazon Warriors on Sunday.

After topping the group stage with two wins over the Warriors and a win and a loss over previous winners Trinbago Knight Riders, the Royals claimed the second ever WCPL title at Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad.

Having lost the toss and being put into bat for the first time, the Royals posted 169-7 with Captain Hayley Matthews finding a big score at the right time before being slowed down in the final few overs keeping the Warriors in hope of a result.

In response, competition top scorer Sophie Devine could only manage a start before some tight bowling restricted the run rate required, leaving the Warriors short.

Gaby Lewis got the Royals off to a firing start before falling side the PowerPlay with a score of 37-1 after six overs.

Matthews prevailed through the middle overs putting on the first century partnership of the competition with Rashada Williams. The Warriors clawed back the Royals, restricting them to 32-6 from the final five overs.

After early struggles for wickets, Shabnim Ismail showed her quality with 4-30, picking up the wickets of all the Royals top four batters.

Guyana Amazon Warriors, in similar fashion to the Royals, had an important middle over partnership after making the most of the PowerPlay, with Suzie Bates and Shemaine Campbelle putting on 60.

The Royals’ bowlers did enough with the ball to restrict run rate enough to deny the Warriors despite some late hope given by Natasha McLean with a 17-ball 28, including taking 16 runs from the 17th over.

Matthews was at the forefront once again in key moments with McLean being run-out off Matthews’ bowling at the non-striker’s end with some misfortune in her dismissal combined with some brilliant reactions from the Barbados captain.

Royals bowlers were economical as they have been throughout the competition with overseas star Amanda-Jade Wellington, in particular, starring with 4-23, including 3-2 in the penultimate over when the Warriors required 23 from 12 balls.

Campbelle’s brilliant unbeaten knock of 47 was in vain as Matthews was able to defend 21 off the final over despite Ismail’s cameo giving the Royals a late scare.

Scores: Barbados Royals 169-7 (Matthews 82, Williams 36; Ismail 4-30, Patil 1-25) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 161-8 by eight runs

 Trinbago Knight Riders recorded their first win of the 2023 Massy Women’s Premier League (WCPL) to keep their final hopes alive at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad.

The Knight Riders beat Hayley Matthews’ previously unbeaten Barbados Royals by 13 runs, meaning the winner of the final group match between the Knight Riders and the Guyana Amazon Warriors on Saturday will play the Royals in Sunday’s final.

The Knight Riders kept the theme going by winning the toss and opting to bat first. Deandra Dottin’s side applied pressure early with a strong PowerPlay setting up for a big score, keeping wickets in hand, eventually finishing on 155-3.

Gaby Lewis put up a good fight with a half-century in reply after a good start with Matthews but tight bowling eventually made 156 look too far away late on.

Knight Riders scored 33 runs inside two overs in the PowerPlay courtesy of quick-fire starts from Marie Kelly and Kycia Knight. At 58-1 from six overs, the hosts continued to put on partnerships with low risk through the experience of Captain Deandra Dottin and Mignon du Preez keeping the steady innings ticking over to reach 155-3 despite just one six in the innings.

Amanda-Jade Wellington prevented a higher score with very economical figures of 0-11 in the middle overs while Matthews picked up a pair of wickets, one at each end of the innings to finish with 2-23.

The Royals had chased a score higher than this total already in this year’s competition but it wasn’t to be on this occasion despite causing threat throughout.

Matthews came out firing, reaching her highest score of the WCPL this year with 45 before she was dismissed by 15-year-old Samara Ramnath on her T20 debut. After a more supportive role initially, Irish international, Lewis kicked on to 62, bringing up her 50 in 43 balls, another substantial knock for the Royals after her 47 in match one.

With other overseas Erin Burns and Laura Harris failing to get out of single figures, the wickets continued to fall for the Royals and Lewis’ dismissal in the 18th over needing to up the run rate to 12-an-over, the innings fizzled out at the hands of 18 overs of spin from the Knight Riders.

Scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 155-3 (Dottin 47, Du Preez 36; Matthews 2-23, Claxton 1-21) beat Barbados Royals 142-7 (Lewis 62, Matthews 45; James 2-34, Ramnath 1-13) by 13 runs.

The Barbados Royals kept their unbeaten record thanks to Erin Burns producing a great half-century in the 2023 Massy Caribbean Premier League (WCPL).

In the WCPL’s final match in Barbados for 2023, the Amazon Warriors won the toss and batted first as they did in their last fixture, ending in a similar fashion to the opener between these same teams last Thursday.

In much similarity to their opener, a strong Powerplay of 51-0 set the visitors on their way before a rebuild led by some big hitting from Natasha McLean got them to a competitive total.

Run rate was never an issue in reply to 146 for the Royals but with wickets falling frequently Burns’ resistance was required to win the game; late partnerships with the lower-order flipped the match in their favour, finishing the chase in the final over.

In a near-carbon copy of the opening match of the 2023 WCPL with Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates leading off the first innings in a similar fashion to that of Thursday night. Hayley Matthews used seven different bowlers inside the opening eight overs, searching for the all-important breakthrough.

The Kiwi pair put on 74 for an opening stand before Amanda-Jade Wellington produced the perfect leg-spinner's delivery to dismiss Bates for 30 in a pick-of-the-bowlers spell of 1-21.

With Devine looking set for another half-century, the Amazon Warriors’ innings was setback to a restart when Devine fell to a good catch in the deep by Aaliyah Alleyne with the score at just 78.

After persisting against a long list of spinners from the Royals, the visitors were able to rebuild with McLean leading the way with three sixes in her 26-ball 38, helping the Warriors to 146-4.

In reply, Matthews and Laura Harris got starts once again for the Royals; the latter scoring all 18 of her runs from sixes before being dismissed by the experience of Shakera Selman featuring for the first time with the ball in the 2023 edition.

With wickets falling frequently through Selman and Patil, the Royals were 75-5 from 10 overs and the match was in the balance. Burns’ timely knock when wickets fell around her continued the Australian’s remarkable form in the WCPL, knocking off the final 30 runs in 14 balls, winning the match with four balls to spare in an unbeaten 42-run partnership with Wellington.

Guyana Amazon Warriors face up to Trinbago Knight Riders next as the tournament moves on to Trinidad.

Scores: Barbados Royals 147-7 (Burns 53*, Matthews 22; Patil 4-34, Selman 2-15) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 146-4 (Devine 42, McLean 38; Burns 2-32, Wellington 1-21) by three wickets.

Barbados Royals kicked off the 2023 Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) with a thrilling final over chase at Kensington Oval, Barbados.

After winning the toss and opting to bat, the Amazon Warriors produced a record-breaking innings on their route to 166/2 from their 20 overs. 

Sophie Devine became the second New Zealander in as many days to hit a CPL century, following on from Martin Guptill’s knock with 103 not out from 64 balls, bringing up the landmark score on the final delivery of the innings with a six over long-off.

Facing a difficult task, the Royals appeared to lack power until Laura Harris took the 15^th over for 24 to put the game in the balance. With 43 still required from five overs, Erin Burns and Chinelle Henry saw the hosts home with two balls to spare.

With Devine leading the way a day before her 35^th birthday, the Warriors kept wickets in hand throughout their innings while maintaining a strong run rate as they ended an explosive PowerPlay 50/0.

Royals captain Hayley Matthews used 12 overs of spin consecutively in the innings in attempt to slow the visitors through the middle overs, before the Amazon Warriors blasted 62 from the final five overs to break the WCPL record for highest total.

Amanda-Jade Wellington should have had Devine out for 41 in the ninth over when a false shot brought a straightforward chance for Afy Fletcher at short cover which was dropped, while the score was still wicketless.

The Royals were facing an uphill battle chasing 167 in the early stages; Matthews’ dismissal for 23 was a setback after a steady powerplay at a-run-a-ball. Gaby Lewis played a superb 360-degree knock which brought hope for the Royals which was backed up by Harris’ spectacular 30 from just 12 balls. 

Shabnim Ismail produced a brilliant 19^th over, conceding just three runs but with just nine runs to win from the final over, Suzie Bates couldn’t stop an in-form Erin Burns from closing out the chase.

Barbados Royals are in action again on Saturday as they face defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders.

Republic Bank Limited, the largest indigenous bank in the English-speaking Caribbean, has been announced as the new title sponsor and official bank of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

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.”  

Batting heroics from Qiana Joseph helped Barbados Royals book a spot in the Massy Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) final against Trinbago Knight Riders after beating the Guyana Amazon Warriors by 4 wickets in a thrilling winner-takes-all game on Saturday.