The first half of another double header of Caribbean Premier League action on Sunday is a repeat of the start of the Saturday play in the CPL 2021 season as the Saint Lucia Kings take on the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots at Warner Park.
The Kings were convincing winners in their first meeting on Saturday and will be looking to serve up a repeat dose here while the Patriots will be looking to make up for their first loss of the campaign by returning to winning ways in this one.
Saint Lucia Kings
We had been waiting the whole tournament for the Saint Lucia Kings to produce a complete performance and they finally did it on Saturday. We knew they had it in them because they made it all the way to the final last year but to date they had been a bit hit and miss. That performance they put in on Saturday though should give them the confidence and belief that they can go on a decent run if they can find some consistency.
The big thing from that win on Saturday was that Faf du Plessis found some form. Slowly but surely enough of their batsmen are finding form and if we get to the point where they all do then the Kings are going to be a dangerous side because their bowlers have certainly found their range. Not only have they found their range but they have an attack that is suited to all conditions which will be vital as we head towards the end of the competition.
St Kitts and Nevis Patriots
There are just a couple of signs of concerns for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots heading into this match. They were unbeaten heading into the reverse meeting between these two on Saturday but the match prior to that they got out of jail and then were put to the sword by the Kings on Saturday. What made things worse was their captain Dwayne Bravo left the field during the first innings of the Saturday game and didn’t bat so you would imagine he’ll be unavailable for this game at the very least.
One of the issues that is presenting itself is that their middle and lower order batsmen suddenly look out of form. That is easy to happen in this competition and format because if the top order does its job then those down the order aren’t facing many balls but it isn’t an ideal situation. The other issue they have is one or two of their seamers have just started to go around the park and that is putting even more pressure on their batsmen.
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Key Men
Roston Chase has looked a million dollars in this tournament whether he has had to rebuild the innings at the beginning of the competition or building on a platform in the latter part of it. Add in his bowling which is going to come to the fore over the rest of the season and he’s a key player for the Saint Lucia Kings.
Chris Gayle hasn’t yet gone really big in this tournament and the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots could do with him delivering sooner rather than later. It would be helpful if it is here as it could get the Kings bowlers off their tight lengths.
Betting
I’m a little bit surprised that the Saint Lucia Kings are odds against for this match after the emphatic nature of their win when these two sides met on Saturday. Admittedly there is a good chance that an innings like the one Faf du Plessis played won’t be played again but they won by so far that they might not need one. Even then there is still plenty to come with the bat for the Saint Lucia Kings when you consider that Tim David, their highest run scorer going into Saturday, never even made it to the crease.
The big issue for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots aside from the fact they have started to slow down a little in terms of their form, is that there is likely to be no Dwayne Bravo for this match and while he might not be at the powers he once was, he balances a side very well and he can be hard to face on wearing pitches at the end of an innings. That is a huge change to have to overcome in less than 24 hours so I give more than an edge to the Saint Lucia Kings and fancy them to win this match as a result.
Tips
Back Saint Lucia Kings to beat St Kitts and Nevis Patriots for a 3/10 stake at 2.10 with William Hill
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