Dasun Shanaka to lead Sri Lanka in World T20 2021, Maheesh Theekshana also picked

CPL 2021 | SLK vs BR: Faf du Plessis, David Wiese script easy win for Kings against Royals

Saint Lucia Kings were finally back on track after beating Barbados Royals by 14 runs (DLS Method) in a rain-curtailed match on Saturday in St Kitts. Batting first, the Kings posted 175/6 in 20 overs after captain Faf du Plessis unleashed another masterclass in the tournament as he struck 84 off 54 during the course. Apart from Faf, Tim David and Keemo Paul also chipped in with some crucial runs at the end. While David scored 23-ball 34, Paul remained unbeaten at 22 off 11. Mohammad Amir returned with a couple of wickets at the cost of 31 runs in 4 overs for the Royals while Hayden Walsh picked up one wicket for 25 runs in his allotted 4 overs. Later, the target for the Barbados side was reduced to 170 in 19 overs. The Royals had a disappointing start to the chase as they lost Mayers early in the innings but Johnson Charles and Shai Hope steadied the ship for the side and put 64 runs for the second wicket. But Charles’ departure saw a fall of wickets in quick succession as Barbados lost three wickets in one over and the Royals were soon reduced to 118/7. Walsh and Joshua Bishop tried to hold the fort as the two batters built a partnership of 36 runs but failed to take the team over the line. David Wiese rattled the Barbados middle-order as he bagged a five-wicket haul. Kings’ skipper Faf hailed his team’s efforts and expressed his delight at the win. “Difficult to say with these things, probably have to go for a scan (issue with his leg). Not looking too good for tomorrow. Great win. The toss was massive. To get to 170 or so on a wicket like that was a very good score,” he said after the match. Holder admitted that it was an achievable total but the fall of wickets in quick succession pushed them on the backfoot. “Still gettable on this wicket. That three wickets in one over cost us. Struggled for runs. Just a case where batters didn't put their hands up,” he said. The two teams will now face each other on Sunday in St Kitts.

CPL 2021 | TKR vs SKNP: Evin Lewis' onslaught helps Patriots return to winning ways

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots etched a thumping win over Trinbago Knight Riders by 8 wickets after riding on a brilliant hundred from Evin Lewis while chasing 160 in St Kitts on Sunday. The Patriots openers Chris Gayle and Lewis stitched a first-wicket stand of 67 runs in six overs before Gayle departed for 35 off 18 deliveries. The left-hander’s dismissal was followed by Devon Thomas’ scalp who was undone for 1 off 5 balls by Kieron Pollard. Lewis was then joined by Ravi Bopara and the two batsmen made sure that there wasn’t any further fall of wickets during the chase. Bopara held the fort from one end as he scored 7* off 13. Lewis on the other hand, did majority of the scoring and notched up an unbeaten 102 off 52 deliveries that included 11 maximums and five fours. Sunil Narine was the pick of the bowlers for TKR as he gave away just 10 runs in his four overs. Earlier, the Trinbago side managed to put 159/7, courtesy a 34-ball 47 from Munro and then a late surge from Narine who chipped with 33* off 18. Narine’s knock included a total of four sixes. The Knight Riders lost a couple of early wickets before Munro took on the onus on himself and tried to steady the ship for the side from one end. He first stitched a 50-run partnership with Bravo for the third wicket and then added 36 runs for the fourth wicket with Kieron Pollard before getting out. The Knight Riders then lost a few wickets in quick succession before Narine came in for the rescue. With this win, the Patriots now have 12 points under their belt. Patriots skipper Dwayne Bravo expressed his delight on the win and lauded Lewis for his knock. “Very pleased with the win. We were coming off three losses and to beat the best team in the tournament felt good. TKR like to chase, so the idea was to make them rethink their strategies. Great to see Evin get a hundred,” he said after the match. The Knight Riders dropped a few catches in the middle and captain Pollard did accept that the fielding wasn’t really up to the mark. “They have a lot of power, lot of guys who can take the game away from us. It was a good wicket and we were short with the bat. It (fielding) didn't look good and sometimes it happens. You don't want to miss the catches but that happens,” he said. The two sides will now lock horns with each other on Sunday at the same venue.

CPL 2021 | SKNP vs TKR: It's Chris Gayle vs Kieron Pollard show in clash of table-toppers

The 27th game of the ongoing edition of the Caribbean Premier League between St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and the Trinbago Knight Riders will be a clash of the titans of the current edition as both the sides are positioned number one and two on the points table. Both sides have won five out of their eight games this season but a positive net run rate has helped the defending champions Knight Riders to take the top position. The two West Indies heavyweights Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard who are leading their respective sides will come head to head for the first time in this edition and the fans will have an extra incentive of this battle inside a battle to follow the game. For the Patriots, Evin Lewis and skipper Gayle hold the key with the bat while the wrist spin of Fawad Ahmed has been instrumental in the team’s success so far this season. On the other hand, the Knight Riders are blessed with a much more balanced side and have a longer list of match-winners to turn the heat on any opposition at any phase of the game. Match Details St Kitts and Nevis Patriots vs Trinbago Knight Riders, Match 27 Venue: Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts Date & Time: September 12th at 4:30 AM IST Live Streaming: Fancode Pitch and weather The conditions in St Kitts is expected to be heavenly stacked in the favour of spinner as the pitch has had a lot of game this season. Apart from the turn, the slower nature of the surface will also hinder batsmen from scoring freely and they will have their tasks cut out to take their sides to a defendable total. Probable XI St Kitts and Nevis Patriots Evin Lewis, Devon Thomas, Chris Gayle (C), Andre McCarthy, Ravi Bopara, Fabian Allen, Joshua Da Silva(WK), Dominic Drakes, Jon-Russ Jaggesar, Paul van Meekeren, Fawad Ahmed Trinbago Knight Riders Lendl Simmons, Tion Webster, Colin Munro, Kieron Pollard(C), Darren Bravo, Tim Seifert(WK), Sunil Narine, Khary Pierre, Akeal Hosein, Ravi Rampaul, Jayden Seales Fantasy XI Devon Thomas (wk), Sunil Narine (C), Lendl Simmons, Evin Lewis, Colin Munro, Chris Gayle, Fabian Allen(VC), Kieron Pollard, Ravi Rampaul, Akeal Hosein, Dominic Drakes

Liam Livingstone all set to join Rajasthan Royals for second phase of IPL 2021

Amidst pull out by top English players from the second phase of IPL 2021, Liam Livingstone, the swashbuckling England middle-order batsman has made himself available for the second phase of IPL starting from 19th September. Livingstone has been a revelation in the shortest format of the game and recently notched up the fastest T20I century by an Englishman. Taking to their Twitter handle, Rajasthan Royals confirmed about the availability of the hard-hitting batsman. Meanwhile, it must be noted that top brass English players like Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan have pulled out of the tournament. However, the reason behind their pullout is yet to be disclosed. Meanwhile, Livingstone has been in staggering form off late. After finishing as the leading run-getter in the T20I series against Pakistan, he went onto amass most runs even in the inaugural Hundred. It was his heroics with the bat which led Birmingham Pheonix to the final but an unfortunate run out cost them the tournament. More to follow....