• Guyana Amazon Warriors defeated Trinbago Knight Riders in the opening game of CPL 2021.

  • St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots beat Barbados Royals in the second fixture of the tournament.

Warriors and Patriots start their CPL 2021 campaign on winning note
Warriors and Patriots win their first games in CPL 2021 (Image Source: Twitter)

The 2021 edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) started on Thursday with a double-header where the first game was played between Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) and Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR), while the second fixture took place between St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots (SNP) and Barbados Royals (BR).

In the opening game, the Warriors defeated reigning champions Knight Riders by nine runs courtesy of brilliant performances by Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd, Imran Tahir and Odean Smith.

Put to bat first, Hetmyer scored a remarkable half-century to take his team’s total to 142/7 in their allotted 20 overs. Hetmyer smashed 54 runs off 41 balls with the help of six boundaries, including two sixes. Sunil Narine (2/17) and Akeal Hosein (2/17) were the pick of the bowlers for Knight Riders.

In reply, the Kieron Pollard-led side could only manage to reach 133/9, losing the contest by nine runs. The trio of Shepherd, Tahir and Smith bowled outstandingly well to help the Warriors defend the paltry total. While Shepherd took three scalps for 15 runs in 3 overs, Tahir bagged a couple for 12 runs in his quota of 4 overs. Similarly, Smith picked up two wickets for 10 runs in 2 overs. Dinesh Ramdin, with 28 off 25 balls, was the top scorer for TKR.

In the second fixture, the Patriots registered a comfortable victory over the Royals by 21 runs.

Asked to bat first, the Patriots posted a massive 175/5 on the scoreboard in their allotted 20 overs, thanks to crucial knocks by Sherfane Rutherford and captain Dwayne Bravo.

After losing four wickets for just 39 runs, Rutherford and Bravo steadied the ship and put together a scintillating partnership of 115 runs for the fifth wicket.

Rutherford scored 53 from 43 deliveries, including 2 fours and 4 sixes. On the other hand, Bravo remained unbeaten at 47 runs off 35 balls with the help of five boundaries, including four maximums.

In response, the Royals scored 154 runs with a loss of seven wickets in their stipulated 20 overs, losing the contest by 21 runs.

Dominic Drakes was the main highlight in the bowling, who picked up a couple of scalps by just conceding 13 runs in his quota of 4 overs. Sheldon Cottrell also bagged two wickets, but he was way too expensive, giving away 39 runs in 4 overs. Shai Hope was the top scorer for the Royals. He made 44 runs from 38 deliveries.

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