After securing and confirming a playoff and third place in the CPL 2023 group stage, we take on Jamaica Tallawahs in our final game before the Eliminator. The outcome of the game will not affect our position in the league table, but Darren Sammy’s men will be adamant about ending the group stage with a victory.
It has been some journey for the Kings en route to qualification for the playoffs. With 4 wins and 3 losses so far, we have shown that we can go against the very best. Some results have also shown that we still have work to do in certain areas and the game against the Jamaica Tallawahs might be the perfect occasion for it.
We will end the group stage playing at the Providence Stadium, and the last time we played there, we gave the Guyana Amazon Warriors their first loss with an emphatic win. Confidence will be high following that game and with our batting lineup also coming up with the goods lately, expect this to be a high-scoring game.
The last time we played Jamaica Tallawahs, it was also our first game of the 2023 CPL, and now we end the group stage by playing them. We have come a long way since then, in terms of performances as well as becoming a close-knit unit. The Kings did lose that match with a very close margin and have come leaps and bounds since then, and will look to get one over the Tallawahs this time. On the other hand, it is a must-win game for Brandon King and his men to confirm qualification to the playoffs.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa showed his class in our previous game against the Warriors and will look to replicate that form in this game as well. Munro has been among the runs ever since he came in as Faf’s replacement. Darren Sammy and Sikandar Raza will look to field the strongest possible playing 11, with an aim to keep the Kings ready for the all-important Eliminator in a few days.
Our bowling has been led by the ever-present Alzarri Joseph who is also our leading wicket-taker with 11 dismissals. Matthew Forde is the tournament's most economical bowler and has been excellent with the new ball for us, and the same will be expected of him in this game.
We will go up against either Jamaica Tallawahs or Barbados Royals in the Eliminator next week, depending on the results elsewhere. A strong performance and win in the final group-stage game will only boost confidence among the players and they will certainly look to end on a high.
