A new name, a new skipper and plenty of new faces, but the spirit and fight remains the same for the Saint Lucia Kings as we gear up for a new season of the Caribbean cricketing carnival. With the 2021 Caribbean Premier League just around the corner, here’s a look at the Saint Lucia Kings squad and everything you need to know about them.
New faces galore
With the veteran Saint Lucia player Daren Sammy stepping down this season, the franchise were in the search of a new skipper, and their travails took them to the seasoned South African star Faf du Plessis. The 37-year-old joins the Saint Lucia Kings as their new captain, and alongside him come Wahab Riaz, Usman Qadir, Tim David and a few other talented cricketers from all across the globe.
Du Plessis previously played in the CPL in 2016, when he represented the St.Kitts & Nevis Patriots, scoring 179 runs in his ten games. Having proved himself in franchise tournaments all over the world, he would be looking to improve on his CPL record this season.
Wahab Riaz is another seasoned campaigner in the franchise cricket world, with 281 games under his kitty. The Pakistani pacer was part of a successful Barbados Royals side a couple of seasons ago, and would look to emulate that form with his new franchise in 2021.
Another exciting acquisition for the Saint Lucia Kings has been Tim David, who made the world take notice of his expansive strokeplay in the 2021 Pakistan Super League and Big Bash League. David was roped in as a late replacement for Matthew Wade, and would now be keen to stamp his authority on the other side of the globe as well.
The Saint Lucia Kings have also picked some exciting West Indian talents like Keemo Paul, Alzarri Joseph, Keron Cottoy and Jeavor Royal. The former two have been part of the West Indies squad in T20 cricket, and come into CPL 2021 having already stamped their authority in franchise competitions elsewhere in the world.
Experienced campaigners
Despite the veteran Daren Sammy hanging up his boots, the Kings’ squad features several loyal customers like Andre Fletcher, Rakheem Cornwall, Kesrick Williams and Roston Chase. Saint Lucia Kings have also roped in England’s Samit Patel to add another experienced head to bulk up that middle-order.
With plenty of seasoned connoisseurs of the shortest format of the game, the Saint Lucia Kings would probably be eyeing that CPL title this time around
Magnificent management
Last season, under the leadership of Andy Flower, the Kings reached the finals for the first time in the Caribbean Premier League. The Zimbabwean talisman will continue to lead the charge for Saint Lucia this time around too, coming off the back of a successful Hundred campaign with the Trent Rockets.
Flower will be joined by assistant coach Roddy Estwick, who has served as assistant coach to West Indies also in the past. Former West Indian pacer Tino Best is also part of the support staff as the strength and conditioning coach for the Saint Lucia Kings. Former captain Daren Sammy is the final new addition to the support staff for this season, after the 37-year-old has chosen to watch this season’s action from the fence in his new capacity as team mentor.
With a talented bunch of players and a stellar support staff backing them, the Saint Lucia Kings would be gunning for the title this time around when the CPL begins. They start their campaign with a tryst against the Jamaica Tallawahs, will they begin on a winning note?
