CPL 2018: Match 5, Match Prediction- Who will win the match, Trinbago Knight Riders or St Kitts and Nevis Patriots?

Trinbago Knight Riders were well and truly in contention for victory against Jamaica Tallawahs until a certain Andre Russell turned the match on its head. The Knights played better cricket for a chunk of the match but succumbed to the hulk-like Jamaican. They will now lock horns with Chris Gayle-captained St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, who floundered in their opening match against Guyana Amazon Warriors, in Trinidad.

TKR would now be keen to shed the disappointment of their last match in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). On the contrary, St Kitts’ batting was a matter of concern in their first match against St Lucia Stars and barring their skipper’s breezy 65-ball 85, no other batter could deliver the goods. Last year, Dwayne Bravo’s men won their home match against the Patriots and would want to replicate their performance even this time around.

Pitch

The pitch at Queens Sports Club turned out to be a nightmare for the bowlers last night. The pitch will remain the same and the batsman will have another chance of making hay. The likes of Russell also showed that in the last few overs, a required rate of even 13 may not be a daunting task on the strip. Teams are likely to bowl first after winning the toss and chase rather than defending.

Team Combination

Trinbago Knight Riders

Despite the loss against the Tallawahs, the Knights will remain unchanged. Lynn, Munro and McCullum have come to the party and Sunil Narine, one of the openers, would also wish to get amongst the runs. Narine was expensive the other night, but his role with the leather can’t be undermined. The focus will also be on fast-bowler Ali Khan, who has been impressive in the two outings.

Predicted XI

Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Colin Munro, Brendon McCullum, Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Dwayne Bravo (C), Javon Searles, Fawad Ahmed, Shannon Gabriel, Ali Khan

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots

St Kitts may not press the panic button after just one defeat and may field the same eleven. Their bowling did an excellent job but didn’t have many runs to play with. Leg-break bowler Sandeep Lamichhane had a stupendous day and the onus will again be on the Nepalese cricketer. The team boast of a belligerent batting lineup and is undoubtedly a force to reckon with.

Predicted XI

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

Probable top performers

Ali Khan- Trinbago Knight Riders, Evin Lewis- St Kitts and Nevis Patriots

The prediction is for the Trinbago Knight Riders to win the match.