GEORGETOWN, Guyana -- THE St. Lucia Kings made it a memorable year as they clinched their first Caribbean Premier League (CPL) title by defeating the defending champions, Guyana Amazon Warriors, in a thrilling final.
After winning the toss and opting to field first, St. Lucia got off to a dream start, dismissing the dangerous Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck, courtesy of a sharp catch by captain Faf du Plessis at mid-on. Shai Hope then joined Moeen Ali at the crease, but the pair struggled to build momentum, managing a sluggish partnership of 33 runs from 40 balls. The Warriors ended the powerplay with just 27 runs on the board, unable to adapt to the slow pitch conditions.
Hope fell as he tried to increase the scoring rate, and Guyana’s innings lacked any real impetus. The Warriors then lost Moeen Ali and their top run-scorer Shimron Hetmyer with the score at 45 and 54, respectively. At the halfway stage, Guyana had limped to just 49 runs. Wickets continued to tumble regularly before a late burst by Dwaine Pretorius and Romario Shepherd, who added 37 runs from just 16 balls, pushed Guyana to a competitive 138/8 off their 20 overs.
St. Lucia's star bowler, Noor Ahmad, was once again the chief tormentor, claiming figures of 3/19 in his four overs. Every other Kings bowler chipped in with a wicket each. Guyana’s conservative approach resulted in 63 dot balls, significantly hampering their ability to post a larger total.
In response, the St. Lucia Kings started cautiously and lost the aggressive Johnson Charles for just 7 in the fourth over, caught off the bowling of Shepherd. Ackeem Auguste then joined skipper Du Plessis, and the pair looked to stabilize the chase. Auguste played some elegant shots during his knock of 13 from 15 balls, but when Du Plessis was caught brilliantly by Shai Hope for 21, a mini-collapse ensued as the Kings lost 3 wickets in 3 overs. At the halfway mark, St. Lucia was in trouble at 51/4, with Roston Chase and Aaron Jones at the crease.
The Guyana bowlers maintained the pressure, conceding only 22 runs between overs 11 and 15, leaving St. Lucia needing over 13 runs per over for victory. However, the momentum shifted dramatically when the Kings went after Moeen Ali in the 16th over, smashing him for 27 runs. This assault continued as they plundered 20 runs off Pretorius in the following over and then 18 more off Shepherd's 18th over, leaving just 1 run required from the final 2 overs.
The unbeaten partnership between Chase and Jones was worth 88 off 52 balls, sealing a memorable win for the St. Lucia Kings and securing their maiden CPL title.
