Five-time runners-up Guyana Amazon Warriors (GUY) will meet four-time champions Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the opening match of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2021. The last edition saw the Guyana-based team reach the semi-finals, while the Kieron Pollard-led Trinbago Knight Riders lifted the trophy after a crushing eight-wicket win in the final.
Head-to-Head
Played: 21
GUY won: 9
TKR won: 12
Team News
Guyana Amazon Warriors will have only a 15-member squad available as left-arm wrist-spinner Waqar Salamkheil failed to obtain a visa due to the prevailing situation in Afghanistan. The franchise, with the likes of Imran Tahir, Gudakesh Motie, Ashmead Nedd, Kevin Sinclair, etc., still has an exciting spin attack. Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik, too, are quality spin options.
Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq Murid is the player to watch out for in the tournament. The 21-year-old is the leading wicket-taker in Vitality Blast 2021, with 26 scalps for Leicestershire. He has picked up at least one wicket in all 14 matches played in England. Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, and Nial Smith complete the pace attack.
The Guyana Amazon Warriors opening pair Brandon King and Chandrapaul Hemraj had a disappointing CPL 2020. Both batsmen combined managed just 256 runs. The rest of their batting unit is full of experienced and quality hitters. Nicholas Pooran, the captain, managed to score a half-century against Pakistan and Australia in the T20Is recently. Meanwhile, Shimron Hetmyer will be keen to get runs under his belt.
The star-studded Trinbago Knight Riders have managed to recruit quality overseas players in each position. Wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Seifert, Pakistan spinner Yasir Shah, and Sri Lanka’s Isuru Udana are part of the 17-member squad. Colin Munro, who top-scored for Manchester Originals in the recently concluded Hundred, features in the overseas roster.
Lendl Simmons and Jayden Seales are two of the most exciting domestic players in the squad. The Trinbago Knight Riders opening batsman was the highest run-scorer in CPL last season. He has amassed more than 300 runs for West Indies in T20Is in 2021. Seales, meanwhile, excelled in red-ball cricket for West Indies. The 19-year-old clinched eight wickets and played a crucial role with the bat to help West Indies pip Pakistan in the first Test match.
Squads
GUY: N Pooran, Anthony Bramble; S Malik, S Hetmyer, Chandrapaul Hemraj, B King; M Hafeez, Gudakesh Motie; I Tahir, R Shepherd, Ashmead Nedd, K Sinclair, Odean Smith, Nial Smith, N-ul-Haq Murid
TKR: T Seifert, Denesh Ramdin, Leonardo Julien; D Michael Bravo, C Munro, Tion Webster, L Simmons; I Udana, S Narine, K Pollard; Y Shah, Khary Pierre, R Rampaul, J Seales, A Hosein, Ali K, A Phillip
Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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