That is it from our coverage of this run fest between St Kitts & Nevis Patriots and Trinbago Knight Riders. Nicky P and TKR start their CPL 2025 journey with a comfortable win, while the Jason Holder-led side goes down for the second time this season. They still have a couple of home games left this season and need to find a way to get over the line before things get out of control. Don't go anywhere as we have another CPL fixture lined up in a few hours' time with Antigua & Barbuda Falcons taking the field against St Lucia Kings at the former's home ground.
For now, this is me AkshayaKrishna Polya, signing off on behalf of my colleagues Bishal Mandal and Aman. We will meet again. Until then, it is cheers!
Nicholas Pooran (Trinbago Knight Riders Captain): "First of all, I am thanking god for this one. The most important thing is a win, and we have done that today. It's very challenging to win here; there was a lot of overnight rain, and then we lost the toss and had to bat.
The conditions were challenging. The way the guys assessed the conditions was excellent to see. The openers set up the game, and they played well and got us into a good position.
If you look at our batting line-up, we have experienced players. There is no need to tell them how to play; they know the conditions well, which is a big tick in the box for the team.
When we lost Waqar Salamkheil to the Patriots, we had to get a replacement, and we got Usman Tariq. I know him very well. He played in my team in the Abu Dhabi T0. He bowls differently and nicely. It is tricky to face him. Then we have two world-class spinners in Akeal Hosein and Narine. So we've enough options in the spin department, and it's great to have him (Tariq) as well now.
It's about enjoying and playing cricket together. We still have Russell to get back. We need to embrace things. The journey has just begun."
Jason Holder (St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Captain): "It is always a tough one when you come and play here at Warner Park. The wicket played really well today.
Credit to Munro for the way he played and paced his innings, but we could have done well with the margin of errors and cut a few boundaries off. Yes, the conditions were in favour of the batters and credit to them for making the most of it.
The top order got runs. Mayers and Fletcher are in form. The batters are getting into their stride, and Rilee Rossouw is getting runs. Still lots to build on. There are so many positives. Just got to tighten up on a few things and keep playing with intent. This is a hard ground to bowl. Hopefully, we get better with the ball going ahead."
Oldest Player to Score a Hundred in CPL:
39y 354d - Chris Gayle (Jamaica Tallawahs) vs St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Basseterre, 2019
38y 159d - Colin Munro (Trinbago Knight Riders) vs St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Basseterre, 2025, Today*
38y 71d - Faf du Plessis (St Lucia Kings) vs Guyana Amazon Warriors, Providence, 2022
Most Player of the Match Awards in CPL:
13 - Kieron Pollard
11 - Johnson Charles, Evin Lewis and Colin Munro*
10 - Nicholas Pooran
Colin Munro (POTM): "I focused on a bit of fitness during my off times. It was tough to get outdoors during the winter. Hit a lot of balls indoors. Just trying to hit the ball as cleanly as I can. I was working on hitting the ball cleanly with nice contact and good positions.
(On his century) It is a winning one. That’s why I’ll remember it more than a few other knocks. It's always nice to contribute to a win. The shot selection, not to premeditate too much.
The Trinidad boys have always welcomed me. Just think it's brotherhood. They have been very, very welcoming. There are a few changes in the setup, but it never feels like it has changed.
It was a little bit for the family and a little bit for the frustration of not coming back here for the last few years. Yes, I am getting a bit older now, but I wanted to prove that I still have a lot to offer."
Player of the Match: Colin Munro
Highest Match Aggregates in CPL:
493 - Jamaica Tallawahs vs Trinbago Knight Riders, Kingston, 2019
492 - St Kitts and Nevis Patriots vs Guyana Amazon Warriors, Basseterre, 2024
483 - St Kitts and Nevis Patriots vs Jamaica Tallawahs, Basseterre, 2019
456 - St Kitts and Nevis Patriots vs Trinbago Knight Riders, Basseterre, 2024 450 - St Kitts and Nevis Patriots vs Trinbago Knight Riders, Basseterre, 2025, This Match*
12:22 AM IST and 2:51 PM Local Time: Trinbago Knight Riders come out on top of a run fest at Warner Park and hand St Kitts & Nevis Patriots their second defeat in the season with a 12-run win! Colin Munro set the game up with a magnificent century, and the bowlers did the rest to guide the four-time champions to a winning start.
SKNP put the visitors into bat first, and the two experienced overseas openers - Munro and Alex Hales - made merry of an absolute batting paradise and were aided by some poor bowling from the hosts. The duo added a whirlwind 114-run for the opening wicket before Hales was dismissed for 47 in the bowling of Waqar Salamkheil in the 10th over. Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard got into double figures, but couldn't stay long at the crease. With Munro striking like he did, it wasn't a matter of concern for TKR as the Kiwi southpaw clubbed his 6th T20 century off just 50 balls and scored a vibrant 120 off 57 balls before Holder redeemed himself in the penultimate over. Keacy Carty remained unbeaten with a cameo and helped his side reach a daunting 231/5 in 20 overs.
For SKNP, Holder and Salamkheil were the pick of the bowlers, snapping a couple of wickets each, while Dominic Drakes returned with a wicket to his name. The rest of the bowling attack was taken to the cleaners as the Knight Riders hammered them left, right and centre.
Kyle Mayers and Andre Fletcher came out with intent and gave SKNP a good start, adding 80 runs for the opening wicket. Just as they lost momentum after the powerplay in the earlier matches, things started to repeat when it mattered to them the most. Usman Tariq (4/33) was hit for a six on his very first ball in CPL, but bounced back in style with a four-wicket haul and derailed the hosts in the tall run chase. Akeal Hosein (1/25) and Sunil Narine (1/32) also helped TKR to put a stranglehold on SKNP, supporting the debutant with their experience.
Mayers hit a 22-ball 32, while Fletcher hit 44 off 26 balls. Rilee Rossouw, who started off slowly, picked up his scoring rate and hit a few lusty blows and hammered a 24-ball 38. Skipper Jason Holder was the lone warrior once Rossouw was dismissed as the wickets fell at regular intervals at the other end. Holder stitched a 50-plus partnership with the Protea after SKNP found themselves at 95/3 at the halfway mark.
Things were always going out of SKNP's hands, but Holder did his best, hitting 44 off just 22 balls before receiving an unplayable yorker in the penultimate over, bowled by Mohammad Amir (1/51). Inexpereinced Terrance Hinds leaked runs, but there was more then enough in the bank for Pooran to play with, but the former walked off the field with 4 balls remaining in the final over, which was then completed by Munro, who conceded 18 runs, which only reduced the margin of defeat for the hosts as Dominic Drakes and Naseem Shah had some fun out in the middle.