CPL 2023 Points Table: Updated standings after St Lucia Kings vs Barbados Royals, Match 16

The doubleheader got underway today which featured two clashes between Guyana Amazon Warriors and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots & Barbados Royals and St Lucia Kings. Earlier in the day Guyana Amazon Warriors completed a crashing victory against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots who are yet to register their maiden victory in this tournament.

Later in the evening, Barbados Royals and St Lucia Kings clashed with each other in a rain-induced game. The St Lucia Kings handed the Royals another embarrassing defeat in the tournament as they went down by a mammoth 90 runs.

Following the end of today’s fixture, St Lucia Kings retain their top spot in the points table with three wins out of six games. They comfortably sit with a decent-looking NRR of +2.338. Guyana Amazon Warriors are ranked second in the points table with three wins in four appearances. Their NRR stands at an impressive high of 3.283.

Trinbago Knight Riders retain their third spot with two wins in four games and have a robust-looking NRR of 1.752. Jamaica Tallawahs and Barbados Royals rank fourth and fifth respectively in the points table. The two teams also have an NRR of -0.010 and -2.557 respectively. St Kitts and Nevis Patriots are currently winless at the moment and are situated at the bottom of the points table with a shambolic-looking NRR of -2.472.

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Guyana Warriors skittle St Kitts Patriots cheaply for 88 to race to the top

After choosing to bat first, Guyana Warriors started off with Saim Ayub hitting Johann Layne for two boundaries in the first over. From then on the Warriors entered a brief rough patch as their top crumbled severely. Oshan Thomas sent Ayub, Zazai, and Hope back to the pavilion in no time leaving Guayana Warriors in a vulnerable state of 54-4. Guyana lost two more quick wickets and was in a bit of bother.

But Hetmyer and Paul joined hands and mixed caution with aggression to perfection. A 57-run partnership between Shimron Hetmyer and Keemo Paul flourished as the Warriors continued their strong momentum in the middle overs. A couple of cameos from Pretorious and Shepherd down the order ensured that the Warriors finished on a high with a decent score of 186-6. Oshane Thomas was the pick of the bowlers for the Patriots as he finished with a three-fer.

The Patriots started off their chase on a positive note. Fletcher was batting well, and they scored 15 runs in the first over. From then on, the Patriots lost the plot and just kept losing wickets. However, it was always going to be an uphill task for the Patriots. The bowling from the Warriors was on the money from the get-go. The Patriots lost four wickets inside the powerplay and were pegged back.

The spinners then took center stage and choked the opposition with their probing bowling. The Patriots' batters struggled for rhythm and crumbled under pressure. No one played an innings of substance and the writing was on the wall for them. They got bowled out for a paltry 88 and handed a massive 98-run victory to Guyana who now march on to the top of the table. Pretorius was brilliant with the ball and took three wickets. He is also awarded the player of the match for his all-round contribution of 27 off 20 balls.

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Barbados Royals suffer another embarrassing defeat against St Lucia Kings

Munro and Charles teeded off during the powerplay overs adding 69 runs in just six overs without losing a wicket and giving St Lucia Kings an electrifying start. Charles was a man on a mission as he notched up an impressive score of 78 (52) to keep the Kings in a commanding position during the middle overs. Van Der Merwe was introduced into the attack during the halfway stage and struck with 2 big wickets to apply the brakes on the scoring rate.

Jason Holder chipped in with two more wickets to significantly hamper the St Lucia Kings's scoring rate. Raza and Primus tried to give St Lucia Kings a strong finish and played some lusty shots in the backend of the innings. The Royals bowlers were eventually able to pull it back after conceding almost 100 runs in their first 10 overs by restricting St Lucia Kings below the 200-run mark.

In their pursuit of 196, the Royals got off to a disastrous start as they lost their Openers Mayers for a golden duck. Then the rain intervened and disrupted the flow of the Royals's batters. Upon resumption, Matthew Forde, Alzarri Joseph, Roshon Primus, and Peter Hatzoglou got into the act and virtually broke the back of the Royals batting lineup.

Barbados Royals kept losing wickets at regular intervals and with the absence of any sizeable partnerships in the middle, the Royals slipped to yet another embarrassing defeat in this tournament crashing out by a whopping 90 runs.