CPL 2020 | Trinbago Knight Riders vs Guyana Amazon Warriors - Statistical Preview
And the ball is set to roll! After a long gap, T20 cricket will be back on our TV screens, with Trinbago Knight Riders taking on 2019 runners-up Guyana Amazon Warriors in the first match of the CPL. With both sides having a packed, star-studded squad, this clash promises to be fun.
Form Guide
Trinbago Knight Riders - L L L W L
This is surely not something that the most popular team in India will be proud of. In the last five matches in the Caribbean Premier League, the Shahrukh Khan-owned franchise have lost four out of their last five matches and, on Tuesday, will need more than just a stellar performance to bring the sanity back to the fore. However, the Kieron Pollard-led side, which has some star players in the line-up like Sunil Narine, Lendl Simmons, Colin Munro, and Dwayne Bravo, can take inspiration from the fact that they have got the better of Guyana Amazon Warriors five times in the last three editions of the league.
Guyana Amazon Warriors - W W W W L
With four wins and one loss in their last five encounters, Chris Green-led Guyana Amazon Warriors are one of the front-runners in the league, simply because of the variations the side has at their disposal. With Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran, they are a side who became a force to be reckoned with in the last few seasons and the ferocity with which they entered the final of the 2019 editions should be fresh in everyone’s memory.
Key Batsmen
Trinbago Knight Riders - Lendl Simmons
One of the finest T20 stars of the generation, Lendl Simmons is power-hitting personified and doesn’t care about the reputation of the bowler. Thanks to his immaculate batting on the front-foot and equal proficiency against both spinners and pacers, Simmons has emerged as the cult hero for the TKR side. His record against Warriors’ best bowler Imran Tahir, against whom he scored at an average of 60 and a strike rate of 142.90, means Simmons will have confidence on his stride in the inaugural game of the season.
Guyana Amazon Warriors - Nicholas Pooran
While his talent is known to one and all, let’s gobble a few stats in the first place. Against Sunil Narine, he averages 78 and bats with an SR of 162. Rightfully he struggled against Dwayne Bravo, against whom he averaged 10 while being dismissed three times in seven matches. That is something to worry about but his improved batting form in the last three years, where his strike rate increased to 148, means Pooran has a big role to play alongside Hetmyer.
Key Bowlers
Sunil Narine - TKR
It is a no-brainer considering Guyana Amazon Warriors have filled their side with left-handers against whom the offie is a fierce entity. A Knight Rider king - both at Kolkata and Trinidad - Narine knows how to spin a variation against Guyana - a side who gave him 11 wickets at an economy of 4.6 at a strike rate of 17.
Imran Tahir - GAW
Backing Chris Green seemed to be the most logical option, simply because of what he has achieved in Big Bash League, but the fact that he just remoulded his action made me suspicious of his performance. That makes way for Imran Tahir who is the perfect prototype for an attacking spinner, picking 148 T20 wickets in the last three years at an average of 15.2. The Knight Riders will surely be wary of this thing.
While both sides have been filled with amazing power-hitters, 1XBET feels that this can be a less rampant aggregator in terms of total runs scored. The syndicate backs the total runs to be scored under 306 - a pretty decent scoring game.
Squads
Trinbago Knight Riders Squad: Sunil Narine, Lendl Simmons, Colin Munro, Tim Seifert(w), Kieron Pollard(c), Tion Webster, Dwayne Bravo, Fawad Ahmed, Ali Khan, Jayden Seales, Sikandar Raza, Anderson Phillip, Darren Bravo, Pravin Tambe, Amir Jangoo, Khary Pierre, Akeal Hosein
Guyana Amazon Warriors Squad: Brandon King, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shimron Hetmyer, Ross Taylor, Nicholas Pooran(w), Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Keemo Paul, Chris Green(c), Odean Smith, Imran Tahir, Naveen-ul-Haq, Anthony Bramble, Ashmead Nedd, Jasdeep Singh, Kevin Sinclair, Kissoondath Magram
Predicted XIs:
TKR: Lendl Simmons, Sunil Narine, Colin Munro, Tim Seifert (wk), Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard (c), Sikandar Raza, Dwayne Bravo, Khary Pierre, Fawad Ahmed, Ali Khan
GAW: Brandon King, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shimron Hetmyer, Ross Taylor, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Keemo Paul, Romario Shepherd, Chris Green, Naveen-ul-Haq, Imran Tahir
Venue: Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad
When to Watch: Aug 18, 7:30 PM IST
Where to Watch: Star Sports Network and Fan Code