CPL 2020:
The highly anticipated first match between the Guyana Amazon Warriors and the Trinbago Knight Riders is expected to commence within half hour, after play was delayed due to heavy downpours in Trinidad and Tobago.
GAW will be batting first.
All the games in this year’s tournament will be played at two venues in Trinidad & Tobago. However, it will be a quiet affair due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, both sides have sought to retain the majority of their 2019 teams, and they both boast a high number of local talents; the Warriors having 8 and the Knight Riders 11.
The Trinbago Knight Riders have a power-packed lineup with the likes of Captain Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo (who was ruled out of the 2019 tournament due to injury, but is back to full health), Sunil Narine and Lendl Simmons. However, the Warriors are equipped with Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford and last Year’s highest run-scorer, Brandon King.
Looking at the international talents who will be going head-to-head, the Warriors’ department is boosted by the talents of Ross Taylor and Imran Tahir, while the Knight Riders sport Colin Munro, Pravin Tambe and Fawad Ahmed.
Undeniably, the teams have good contenders, but the result will almost always come down to how the players operate on game day.
Flashback to 2019, and the Warriors defeated the Knight Riders in both preliminary games in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. They also did the dame during the 2018 preliminary round. In fact, the only time that the Knight Riders have defeated the Warriors in their last 5 games against each other was in the final of the 2018 edition.
The characters to closely watch in today’s game will be Brandon King, who has an average of 55.25, Chandrapaul Hemraj (21.60), Kieron Pollard (52.50) and Lendl Simmons (35.50).
Over in the bowling department, there is Imran Tahir with an average of 6.00, Chandrapaul Hemraj (7.11), Ali Khan (7.90), and Khary Pierre (6.56). However, should the wicket take spin well, the likes of Chris Green, Pravin Tambe and Sunil Narine will expect great returns.
Also, considering the strong friendships, camaraderie and familiarity between these two teams, the first match of CPL 2020 will be a blockbuster event.
