Sunil Narine Stars as Trinbago Knight Riders Beat Patriots by 19 Runs in CPL Opener

Sunil Narine delivered a sensational bowling performance as Trinbago Knight Riders began their Caribbean Premier League campaign with a convincing 19-run victory over St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in a rain-affected contest at Kingstown.

Narine claimed three wickets while conceding just seven runs from four overs, including a maiden, as the Patriots were restricted to 109 for 9. Rain later reduced the TKR chase to 15 overs, with Trinbago reaching 94 for 2 before the weather returned and they were declared winners by the DLS method.

Narine Destroys Patriots’ Top Order

After TKR opted to bowl first, Narine immediately put the Patriots under pressure. Opening the bowling alongside Akeal Hosein, the mystery spinner struck twice in consecutive deliveries.

He first induced an outside edge from Andre Fletcher before trapping Kyle Mayers lbw with one that turned into the batter. Narine returned in his next over to dismiss Alick Athanaze, who edged behind to slip for a duck following a successful review.

Narine completed the powerplay with a maiden, leaving St Kitts and Nevis Patriots struggling at 24 for 3.

Patriots Struggle to Build Momentum

The Patriots continued to lose wickets as Jyd Goolie removed Johnson Charles and Terrance Hinds dismissed Jason Holder and Navin Bidaisee with consecutive deliveries.

At 47 for 6, the Patriots were in serious trouble. Kevin Wickham offered some resistance with a fighting 38, while late boundaries from McCoy and Ashmead Nedd helped the team cross the 100-run mark.

Dominic Drakes, making his TKR debut, also impressed by dismissing Wickham and Saurabh Netrawalkar in the 17th over. The Patriots eventually finished on 109 for 9.

TKR Chase Cut Short by Rain

Trinbago’s chase did not begin smoothly as Alex Hales and Colin Munro were dismissed within 10 deliveries. However, Matthew Breetzke and Joshua Da Silva steadied the innings with an important half-century partnership.

Da Silva retired hurt after scoring 18, with TKR sitting at 88 for 2 after 13 overs. Two overs later, rain returned with Trinbago on 94 for 2.

Having already moved comfortably ahead of the revised DLS target, Trinbago Knight Riders were declared winners by 19 runs and collected two points from their opening match.

Narine Reaches Another CPL Milestone

The performance earned Narine his 10th Player-of-the-Match award in CPL history. Only Kieron Pollard, with 15 awards, has won the honour more often in the tournament.

Pollard and TKR captain Nicholas Pooran are currently unavailable for the franchise because of their involvement with MI London in The Hundred, but Narine’s extraordinary spell ensured Trinbago made a powerful start to their CPL campaign.