Saint Lucia Kings recorded back-to-back wins as they beat the Trinbago Knight Riders by 36 runs at the Queen’s Park Oval in the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
Tim Seifert recorded the first century of the CPL season with a sensational 105 not out. It was his second century for the Kings as they made the highest total of the competition so far. Roston Chase led the bowlers with figures of 3 for 24 in what turned out to be a potentially match-saving spell.
Chase’s side were put into bat by the Knight Riders and they hit their straps from ball one as Seifert and Kamil Pooran got the Kings off to a blistering start inside the powerplay, racing to 64 for 1 from the first six overs, with 11 fours and no sixes. Seifert showed the expert form he has shown of late and worked the Knight Riders bowling attack with relative ease all around the ground.
He was backed up by steady partners and built big partnerships with Pooran, John Campbell and Charith Asalanka. The Knight Riders struggled to break through, with Abdul-Raheem Toppin and Dominic Drakes both conceding at more than 16 runs an over.
The Kings maintained their tempo throughout the innings and found at least one boundary in 18 of their 20 overs. Seifert was the catalyst as he led the charge and powered past fifty in quick time. Asalanka was the only other Kings batter to hit a maximum, sending Drakes for three back-to-back sixes in the 17th over as the Saint Lucians looked to post only the third 200-plus score of the tournament so far.
Shortly after passing 200, it was Seifert’s moment as he became the first batter in CPL 2026 to remove his helmet and raise his bat. This was his second CPL century for the Kings, coming against the side he played three seasons for. The Kings finished on 211 for 4 as they headed off to bowl.
The Knight Riders knew they had to attack from the outset, and that is exactly what they did through Colin Munro and opening partner Sunil Narine. Munro’s power hitting got the home crowd on their feet and renewed belief that they could chase down the Kings’ hefty total. The powerplay yielded 56 for no loss for TKR.
However, the game turned in the 8th over when Chase took three wickets in four balls as Narine, Matthew Breetzke and Nicholas Pooran departed. Shortly after, Joshua Bishop picked up the key wicket of Munro for 48, caught by Chase, who could not keep himself out of the action. From there the run rate slowed and the required rate began to climb rapidly.
The Knight Riders had one last card to play as Kieron Pollard entered the fray. The veteran used all of his power to strike the ball to every corner of the Queen’s Park Oval. It remained a tall order, but as long as Pollard was there, belief remained. Then the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, Matthew Forde, forced a top edge from Pollard, which he caught himself. From there the Kings cantered to the finish line, with Forde and Keon Gaston seeing them home. (CPL)
