CPL 2018 Match 26 : St Kitts and Nevis Patriots vs Barbados Tridents, Predicted Playing XI

After qualifying for playoffs, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots will look to finish their league-stage campaign on a high when they go up against Barbados Tridents in 26th fixture of CPL 2018 at the Warner Park in Basseterre, St Kitts on Tuesday, September 4. Both teams have played seven matches against each other with Patriots leading the scoreline 5-2.

In their most recent clash at Kensington Oval on August 25, St Kitts emerged victorious by 6 wickets. Batting first, The Tridents scored 147/6 and Patriots easily overhauled that total in the penultimate over of the match.

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots

Patriots are currently placed fourth in the CPL 2018 league standings with four wins and as many losses from nine matches. They faced Jamaica Tallawahs last time and defeated them by seven wickets in a rain-curtailed encounter to book their place in playoffs.

Batting: The Universe Boss Chris Gayle is still their leading run-getter and he is coming off a decent knock of 41 runs against Jamaica Tallawahs. While Rassie van der Dussen smashed an unbeaten 24-ball 45 in that game which makes him another batsman to watch out for.

Bowling: Ben Cutting is a key man for the Patriots. The all-rounder has taken the most wickets for his side this CPL - 10 in 8 matches. He claimed a couple in the last game and was the pick of the bowlers in the earlier encounter against the Tridents as well. Apart from him, they will also bank on the likes of Sheldon Cottrell and Carlos Brathwaite who have taken nine and eight wickets respectively. Both seem to be the major threats in this bowling attack.

Expected Playing XI: Chris Gayle (C), Evin Lewis, Rassie van der Dussen, Ben Cutting, Mahmudullah, Devon Thomas, Carlos Brathwaite, Anton Devcich, Fabian Allen, Sheldon Cottrell and Alzarri Joseph.

Barbados Tridents

On the flipside, Barbados Tridents who are on a losing streak of five matches cannot advance further in the tournament. They have won just two and lost six out of the eight league matches they have played so far and are currently languishing at the bottom of the points table with four points.

Batting: In the absence of Steven Smith, the onus is now on Hashim Amla, Shai Hope and Martin Guptill to make significant contributions with the bat. Hope is amongst the season's top five run-getters with 261 runs in eight matches and the team will have a lot of hopes pinned on him. While Amla looked positive in his previous innings of 35 against St Lucia Stars while Guptill had recently cracked a half-century.

Bowling: Mohammad Irfan and Wahab Riaz are the key figures for the Tridents with the ball. Both have eight wickets apiece to show for their efforts in as many matches and it will be mainly up to these two to exert pressure on the Patriots. While Tridents will also need Jason Holder and Ashley Nurse to use their experience and get some early breakthroughs for them.

Expected Playing XI: Jason Holder (C), Imran Khan, Ashley Nurse, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan, Dwayne Smith, Martin Guptill, Hashim Amla, Shai Hope, Shamar Springer and Nicholas Pooran.

Also see - CPL Most Runs