CPL 2020 | St Lucia Zouks vs Trinbago Knight Riders - Statistical Preview
In a clash of the two table toppers - St Lucia Zouks and Trinbago Knight Riders, only one can return with a result that will keep them at the top of the table. Both of them come into this encounter on the back of three consecutive wins in the tournament but who will come out on top in this one?
Form Guide
St Lucia Zouks - W W W L L
The Zouks side, led by Darren Sammy sits pretty on the second of the Caribbean Premier League table for the season, on back of their three-match winning streak out of the last four games in the competition. On Sunday, against the Guyana Amazon Warriors, the Zouks needed an inspiring batting performance from Roston Chase (66 off 51) to propel them to a challenging total of 144. On the bowling front, Kiwi pacer Scott Kuggeleijn accounted for three wickets in their ten-run victory. Importantly, going against one of the tournament favourites, TKR, they would need their top-order of Andre Fletcher, Kimani Melius and Mark Deyal to perform on Wednesday.
Trinbago Knight Riders - W W W L W
Hot winning streak or Trinbago Knight Riders? The franchise have thus far played just three games in the competition, yet they stand pretty on the points table at the top on the back of their hattrick wins in the competition. While Sunil Narine started the tournament as their best batsman, Kiwi swashbuckling batsman Colin Munro has taken over the batting mantle. The southpaw has scored 116 runs, at an average of 58 in the three games. On the bowling front, the Knight Riders have been aided by the pace duo of Ali Khan and Jayden Seales, who have picked eight wickets in between them. On Wednesday, everything is there to be won for TKR, who aim to stay at the top of that leaderboard.
Key Batsmen
St Lucia Zouks - Roston Chase
Roston Chase’s form has been exceptional since the turn of the year. First, he turned out for West Indies, bailing them out of trouble against England and now, with the Zouks, he has put in such batting performances, with the right-hander being the fourth-best batsman in the tournament, only behind Glenn Philipps, Shimron Hetmyer, and Evin Lewis. With 122 runs under his kitty thus far, Chase would only hope to add more to his tally, against the Knight Riders.
Trinbago Knight Riders - Colin Munro
While Sunil Narine has done the bulk of scoring in the first two encounters, the Kiwi batsman Munro has taken over the batting mantle with his blade. In the three games, Munro averages 58 in every game, scoring 116 runs, making a startling impression at No.3 for the franchise. Given that Narine has to bear all the responsibilities at the top of the order, the left-hander’s T20 record and current form show that he would be the key batsman against the Zouks. In over 200 T20 appearances, Munro has scored over 6000 runs, averaging 29.33, making him one of the batsmen to look out for.
Key Bowlers
St Lucia Zouks - Scott Kuggeleijn
The right-arm pacer has cranked up the pacer in the Caribbean Premier League, with 10 wickets in the tournament thus far. At an average of 12.7, the pacer has clearly been the difference between the Zouks staying at No.2 and at the end of the table. Further, Kuggeleijn’s pace change and variations might come in handy against the Trinbago Knight Riders, who clearly have struggled against such bowlers in the past but the competition will be healthy.
Trinbago Knight Riders - Ali Khan
The USA pacer has been nothing short of sensational, clearly when the rest of the eyes firmly focused on Sunil Narine and Dwayne Bravo. Thus far in this edition, the right-arm pacer has picked up four wickets, tied up with Narine at the top. Incidentally, last year too after the season, both of them were tied up at 10 wickets each. Against the Zouks, the Knight Riders would be hoping for magic from Ali Khan upfront, given that Narine would only enter the fray later in the innings.
1XBET PREDICTIONS
While both sides have been filled with amazing players, 1XBET offers you a 2.07X return if Sunil Narine hits a six & takes a wicket in the innings. In two of his last three innings, Narine has hit over six sixes and has picked four wickets thus far in the three matches, which makes this seem more than possible.
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
St Lucia Zouks Squad: Rahkeem Cornwall, Andre Fletcher(w), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Daren Sammy(c), Mark Deyal, Roston Chase, Scott Kuggeleijn, Kesrick Williams, Obed McCoy, Saad Bin Zafar, Kavem Hodge, Zahir Khan, Chemar Holder, Kimani Melius, Javelle Glen, Leniko Boucher
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
SLZ: Rahkeem Cornwall, Andre Fletcher, Mark Deyal, Najibullah Zadran, Roston Chase, Mohammad Nabi, Darren Sammy(C), Scott Kuggeleijn, Kesrick Williams, Zahir Khan, and Obed McCoy/Chemar Holder.
Venue: Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad
When to Watch: Aug 26, 7.30 PM IST
Where to Watch: Star Sports Network and Fan Code