debut: 2/16/17
36,925 runs
Barbados Royals vs Trinbago Knight Riders
6pm Second versus fourth. A team with three wins out of three, against a side with two wins out of three. A franchise led by the current West Indian captain, versus an outfit captained by a former West Indian skipper (and one of their greatest ever T20 exponents). Two swashbuckling, left-handed wicket-keeper batters on either side and finishers to fear - the more you look at it, the more the Barbados Royals and the Trinbago Knight Riders seem similar.
But perhaps their most congruent trait is that neither will want to finish the season second-best. The Knight Riders, having reached the final last year, will be longing to win the entire thing. The Barbados-based franchise, having fallen at that hurdle in 2022, will also have eyes on the big prize, having not won it since 2019.
So, this contest is set up tantalizingly. The Knight Riders, downed once already this season, will love nothing more than snapping another unbeaten run, especially in front of what is expected to be a raucous home crowd. The Royals, knowing that the Knight Riders will come hard at them, will, just as dearly, want two points, not just to assert their superiority and but also to reiterate that they are the real deal this season.
6pm Second versus fourth. A team with three wins out of three, against a side with two wins out of three. A franchise led by the current West Indian captain, versus an outfit captained by a former West Indian skipper (and one of their greatest ever T20 exponents). Two swashbuckling, left-handed wicket-keeper batters on either side and finishers to fear - the more you look at it, the more the Barbados Royals and the Trinbago Knight Riders seem similar.
But perhaps their most congruent trait is that neither will want to finish the season second-best. The Knight Riders, having reached the final last year, will be longing to win the entire thing. The Barbados-based franchise, having fallen at that hurdle in 2022, will also have eyes on the big prize, having not won it since 2019.
So, this contest is set up tantalizingly. The Knight Riders, downed once already this season, will love nothing more than snapping another unbeaten run, especially in front of what is expected to be a raucous home crowd. The Royals, knowing that the Knight Riders will come hard at them, will, just as dearly, want two points, not just to assert their superiority and but also to reiterate that they are the real deal this season.