CPL 2020: Match 13, St Lucia Zouks vs Trinbago Knight Riders, Preview- A top-notch battle between the table-toppers

The match is going to be an exciting one as Zouks will look to bring Riders' winning streak to a halt whereas they would want to occupy the top spot for longer.

Published - 26 Aug 2020, 16:17 IST | Updated - 26 Aug 2020, 16:17 IST

View : 1.9K

2 Min Read

The 13th match of CPL 2020 is scheduled to be played between St Lucia Zouks and Trinbago Knight Riders on 26th August at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain.

The Knight Riders have had a golden run in the tournament so far and they are yet to be defeated. Having won all three encounters, they have ruled the roost and would definitely want to make it four-on-four, continuing their winning streak.

With Colin Munro, Darren Bravo, and Kieron Pollard hitting good form in their last game against the Barbados Tridents, they have only more reasons to celebrate. The form of Sunil Narine, their star performer, has been delightful as he contributed with both bat and ball. Overall, the Knight Riders appear as the most settled and composed side with most of their bases covered.

St Lucia Zouks have not been much behind either as they have won three out of four games and are placed second in the table as tough contenders. The top-order has been a slight bit of an issue with its inconsistent acts, however, the best part of their journey has been that some or the other player has taken charge and has performed for the team in case of the other one failing.

Their most important contributors have been Roston Chase and Mohammad Nabi, both of whom have unfailingly contributed with their all-round performances. Scott Kuggeleijn has continued to stack up wickets at incredible economy whereas Kesrick Williams and youngster Chemar Holder have also contributed with the ball in the last game.

The match, to state the obvious, is going to be exciting as Zouks will look to bring Riders’ winning streak to a halt whereas they would want to occupy the top spot for longer.

Playing combination

Trinbago Knight Riders

Lendl Simmons has not been amongst the runs, however, the brilliant form of the players around him has cloaked his poor form. Sunil Narine had a rare and unusual failure with the bat in the last game, although he did not forget to make it count with the ball. Colin Munro was marvelous for his 50 off 30 balls and clearly dominated the opposition.

Darren Bravo and Kieron Pollard went all guns blazing and showed no mercy on the bowlers. Pollard getting some form, after a few dull outings, has ticked another box for the Riders. Tim Seifert does not have much to show as he has not got too many chances with the bat, although he will form the middle-order around Bravo and Pollard.

The bowlers have been chipping in well for the Riders as Jayden Seales, Ali Khan, and Sunil Narine have bagged wickets at regular intervals and have been economical. Khary Pierre came back well after a wicket-less spell and bowled with great discipline. Surprisingly, Dwayne Bravo failed to click in the last game, though he has been decent otherwise.

Predicted XI- Lendl Simmons, Sunil Narine, Colin Munro, Darren Bravo, Tim Seifert (WK), Kieron Pollard (C), Dwayne Bravo, Jayden Seales, Fawad Ahmed, Ali Khan, Khary Pierre

Bench: Amir Jangoo, Tion Webster, Sikandar Raza, Akeal Hosein, Pravin Tambe, Anderson Philip

St Lucia Zouks

Andre Fletcher and Mark Deyal have played well at the top, however, their run has been a little sporadic. Rahkeem Cornwall is set to miss and Kimani Melius will be seen opening alongside Fletcher. The pick in their batting order has been Roston Chase who has contributed with either bat or ball or both without fail.

Najiubullah Zadran has not been at his best though he has held his spot with some performances in the middle-order. Given his form, Mohammad Nabi is a default pick. Javelle Glen played well for his 19 last time and should be seen in action.

Scott Kuggeleijn has been punching above his weight and has been spectacular with the ball. Skipper Daren Sammy has remained quiet and will look to shift gears this time around. Kesrick Williams made a brilliant comeback after a couple of wicket-less and expensive spells, while Chemar Holder, who walked in as a replacement of Obed McCoy, bowled with beautifully and bagged a couple of wickets.

Predicted XI- Andre Fletcher (WK), Kimani Melius, Mark Deyal, Roston Chase, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Javelle Glenn, Darren Sammy (C), Scott Kuggeleijn, Kesrick Williams, Chemar Holder

Bench: Leniko Boucher, Kavem Hodge, Zahir Khan, Obed McCoy, Chemar Holder, Saad Zafar