CPL 2018: Match 13, Match Prediction- Who will win the match, St Lucia Stars or St Kitts and Nevis Patriots?

St Lucia Stars, on Friday, ceased their 14-match losing streak against Jason Holder-captained Barbados Tridents. Kieron Pollard smashed his maiden ton in T20s in 53 deliveries against his former team to scrip the home team’s first victory of this season. The current cellar dweller will now lock horns with St Kitts and Nevis in St Lucia in this editions Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

The Patriots, on the contrary, haven’t had the best of campaigns either. They emerged victorious against Trinbago Knight Riders but slumped to defeats against Guyana Amazon Warriors and Jamaica Tallawahs. Moreover, they will also be playing after a gap of six days. With the round-robin stage nearing the second-half, both sides would be desperate to climb the ladder in the points table.

Pitch

The track at Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet is expected to produce another run-fest. In the first match at the venue, TKR showed that with wickets in hand, hefty targets can also be tracked down. However, the strip also has enough for the bowlers to work with. Teams are most likely to field first after winning the toss bearing in mind the batting depth they possess.

Team Combination

St Lucia Stars

Warner and Fletcher are the opening batters followed by the hulk-like Rakheem Cornwall. The experienced campaigners in Lendl Simmons, Kieron Pollard, and Darren Sammy will lend depth to the batting. The bowlers were disappointing in the team’s first four matches, but the likes of Qais Ahmad and Mitchell McClenaghan bowled well against the Tridents.

Predicted XI

Andre Fletcher (wk), David Warner, Rakheem Cornwall, Lendl Simmons, Kieron Pollard (C), Darren Sammy, Qais Ahmad, Kavem Hodge, Odean Smith, Mitchell McClenaghan, Obed McCoy

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots

Gayle is currently the leading run scorer for the franchise in this year’s event. Unfortunately, he hasn’t had much of support from the other batters. Evin Lewis, after three forgettable outings, would be desperate to get some runs. Alzarri Joseph may come back in place of Jeremiah Louis. The likes of Lamichhane, Cutting, Mahmudullah and Cottrell will have their task cut out.

Predicted XI

Chris Gayle (C), Evin Lewis, Tom Cooper, Devon Thomas (wk), Anton Devcich, Mahmudullah, Ben Cutting, Carlos Brathwaite, Alzarri Joseph, Sheldon Cottrell, Sandeep Lamichhane

Probable top performers

David Warner- St Lucia Stars, Evin Lewis- St Kitts and Nevis Patriots

The prediction is for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots to win their second match.