It has been an inconsistent start to the Republic Bank CPL 2023 for us, albeit with significant positives from the Saint Lucia Kings’ games so far. With one win, one loss, and two matches washed out due to rain, we sit comfortably in second position in the 2023 CPL table.
On the other hand, the Trinbago Knight Riders have only played one match so far against Saint Kitts and Nevis Patriots and was unfortunately abandoned. After finishing last season at the bottom of the table, the men from Trinbago will hope for better performances and results in the 2023 CPL.
The four-time CPL champions lacked star performers last season. There were glimpses of decent performances from the likes of Sunil Narine, Akeal Hosein, and Ravi Rampaul. Despite boasting of other star players like Andre Russell, Maheesh Theekshana, Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, and Colin Munro, they failed to capitalize on their power-packed lineup.
This season, they have further bolstered their squad with the inclusion of Rilee Rossouw and Martin Guptill and should have enough firepower to push them at least to the playoffs. With such a star-studded lineup, the majority of the fans expect them to fare much better than last season.
The match against Trinbago also kickstarts our second leg at Saint Kitts and Nevis. Roston Chase has been the pick of our players with his 67 runs and 4 wickets in the tournament so far. The likes of Matthew Forde. Alzarri Joseph and Sean Williams have also pitched in with important runs and wickets.
Faf du Plessis and Darren Sammy will want his other key players to step up to the occasion if we are to have any chance of winning our maiden CPL trophy. Our last season’s leading run scorer Johnson Charles has started the new campaign slowly but is expected to lead the batting order in the coming matches.
In-form all-rounder Sikandar Raza will also be expected to deliver with both bat and ball in the upcoming games. Our boys have also had ample rest between their previous and next game. A win here will also take us to the top of the table above defending champions Jamaica Tallawahs.
