CPL T20, Trinbago Knight Riders vs St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots: Match Preview, Pitch Report, Playing XI and Key Players

The 7th season of the Caribbean Premier League is all set to begin tonight. Defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders will lock horns with Carlos Brathwaite's St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots.

Chris Gayle is no longer a part of the Patriots but the franchise still has a very strong squad. On the other hand, the Knight Riders will not have the services of their skipper Dwayne Bravo who is nursing an injury and thus, Kieron Pollard will lead the team in his absence.

Colin Munro will also miss the first three matches of the season but the three-time champions have roped in Lendl Simmons as his replacement.

With a lot of match winners in action tonight, this match promises to set the tone for the entire season.

Match details

Date: 5th September 2019 (Thursday)

Time: 04:30 AM (India), 07:00 PM (4th September 2019, Local)

Venue: Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad.

Weather report

The temperature will be around 26 degrees Celsius but rain is forecast throughout the course of the match. There's a good chance we may not get a full game.

Pitch report

The pitch at Port of Spain is expected to assist the batsmen at the start, with the bowlers finding it difficult to keep a check on the runs. However, the pitch may slow down as the game progresses, and hence the team winning the toss should look to bat first.

Trinbago Knight Riders

Trinbago Knight Riders are the defending champions

The defending champions will be on a mission to win their 4th CPL title this year. Kieron Pollard's men will try to kick off their campaign in style against the Patriots.

Batting

Key Players - Lendl Simmons, Denesh Ramdin, Kieron Pollard

In the absence of Colin Munro, the onus will be on the experienced trio of Lendl Simmons, Denesh Ramdin and Kieron Pollard to score the bulk of the runs for the team. While Simmons will be responsible for giving the team a good start, Pollard will have to unleash his big hitting skills to take the team to a big score.

Bowlers

Key Players - Mohammad Hasnain, Ali Khan, Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine will lead the spin bowling department of the Knight Riders, but he will need support of the fast bowlers, Hasnain and Khan, to subdue the Patriots batting line-up.

Expected playing XI

Denesh Ramdin (wk), Sunil Narine, Lendl Simmons, Kieron Pollard (Captain), Jimmy Neesham, Javon Searles, Akeal Hossain, Khary Pierre, Ali Khan, Anderson Phillip, Mohammad Hasnain

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St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots have reached the play-offs twice but have never won the tournament

St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots have two renowned power-hitters Evin Lewis and Carlos Brathwaite in their squad. It will be interesting to see how they fare in this season of the league.

Batting

Key Players - Evin Lewis, Mohammad Hafeez, Carlos Brathwaite

As mentioned earlier, the batting will rely on Lewis and Bratwaite. The team owners would also expect Pakistani all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez to make full use of his experience and deliver the goods for his franchise.

Bowling

Key Players - Sheldon Cottrell, Fabian Allen, Alzarri Joseph

Sheldon Cottrell and Alzarri Joseph can rip through any batting order with their raw pace, whereas Fabian Allen can keep a check on the runs with his crafty spin bowling.

Expected playing XI

Evin Lewis, Devon Thomas (wk), Mohammad Hafeez, Jason Mohammed, Carlos Brathwaite (Captain), Fabian Allen, Aaron Jones, Rayad Emrit, Sheldon Cottrell, Dominic Drakes, Alzarri Joseph

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