CPL 2018: Match 9, Match Prediction- Who will win the match, St Lucia Stars or Trinbago Knight Riders?

Both Trinbago Knight Riders and St Lucia Stars haven’t had the best of campaigns thus far in this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL). The Knight Riders, after a convincing start, couldn’t stay put in their form and slumped against Jamaica Tallawahs followed by St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. On the other hand, Kieron Pollard-captained Stars are yet to win a match and are languishing at the bottom of the table.

The teams will now lock horns tomorrow in St Lucia. Previously, the Knights annihilated them by a mammoth margin of 100 runs in the first match and the home team won’t find it easy to roll over Dwayne Bravo and Co. Moreover, the Stars would also be looking to improve their Net Run Rate (NRR) (-1.781), which is dismal, to say the least. Also, they would try and climb the ladder in the points table.

Pitch

The pitch at Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, has produced some significant scores over the years. Hence, it won’t be a surprise if the contest turns out to be a high-scoring one. The nature of the strip isn’t expected to alter too much and hence teams may look to chase after winning the toss. All in all, an exciting match seems to be in store.

Team Combination

St Lucia Stars

The team is likely to include Niroshan Dickwella in place of Mark Chapman, who hasn’t been up to the mark by any stretch of the imagination. The rest of the lineup remains to be the same. Obed McCoy, who bowled well against the Tallawahs will retain his position. Australian batsman David Warner would be desperate to get some runs under his belt after three lacklustre outings.

Predicted XI

Andre Fletcher, David Warner, Lendl Simmons, Kieron Pollard (C), Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Darren Sammy, Mitchell McClenaghan, Qais Ahmed, Kavem Hodge, Kesrick Williams, Obed McCoy

Trinbago Knight Riders

The Knights may drop Shannon Gabriel, who has conceded runs at an economy of over 10, and rope in Javon Searles. The batters didn’t perform in the last match and their role remains to be vital for the Shah Rukh Khan-owned team. In the bowling department, Ali Khan along with the likes of Fawad Ahmed and Sunil Narine will also need to play their respective parts.

Predicted XI

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

Probable top performers

David Warner- St Lucia Stars, Sunil Narine- Trinbago Knight Riders

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