CPL 2025, Match 21 Review: Shai Hope anchors Warriors win over Royals

Game 21 of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) saw Guyana Amazon Warriors beat Barbados Royals by four wickets with two balls remaining. 

Both sides were in much need of a victory heading into the match at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown as only two spots remain in the playoffs. The defeat sees the winless Royals rooted to the foot of the table and in need of a turnaround to keep their season alive.

The Warriors won the toss and elected to field first, with wickets shared between their bowling attack they reduced the Royals to 69-5 in the 12^th over only for Rovman Powell to blitz 50 off 28 balls with six muscular sixes - and curiously no fours - in his commanding half century. 

Powell’s unbeaten effort with the bat at least gave the Royals a target to defend but 165/6 always felt a little light. So it proved, but only just. ​ 

Eathan Bosch (3/35) and Ramon Simmonds (2/27) bowled extremely well to keep the Royals in the match but an unbeaten 62 off 29 balls from Shai Hope anchored the chase for the Warriors and saw them get over the line after a couple of short rain delays took the match late into the evening.

Hope was accompanied by Quentin Samson at the end, his 33 off 20 balls provided intelligent batting as the game went down to the wire. His emphatic swipe for six over the on side off Chris Green sealed the match for the Royals with just a couple of deliveries to spare.

Earlier, player of the match Dwaine Pretorious had helped to take a sizeable chunk out of the total with 53 off 34 deliveries with four sixes and two fours. The defeat left the Royals without a victory in their five matches, another bitter pill to swallow in front of their home crowd. 

The Warriors move up to fourth place in the CPL table with three games in hand, keeping the pressure on the Falcons and Patriots either side of them in third and fifth.