CPL 2024: Nicholas Pooran fall short of century by 7 runs, paves path to victory against Patriots

Caribbean: Nicolas Pooran who fell short of his century by 7 runs paved the path of victory for Trinbago Knight Riders against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League. The match was held at Brian Lara Cricket Ground where crowds erupted in celebration to cheer both teams on Sunday night. 

Nicholas Pooran made 93 runs off 43 deliveries including six fours and seven sixes in the nail-biting match. He played with a strike rate of 216 and became “Player of the Match” against Patriots. 

Pooran expressed delight and said that he was lucy as he got some chances and mentioned Kieron Pollard who encouraged him for high scores. He said that his partnership with the skipper was good, and they are happy with the win. 

The match started with the toss, which was won by Trinbago Knight Riders, sending Patriots to the batting pitch first in the inning. The Patriots also batted well and set a target of 194 runs with standout performance from Kyle Mayers who made 60 runs of 30 deliveries and captain Andre Fletcher who made 93 runs of 61 balls. 

However, bowlers of Trinbago Knight Riders remained quite effective as the four-over spell of Chris Jordan took two wickets including Fletcher. He broke the partnership between Fletcher and Mayers and gave only 29 runs. 

On the other hand, batters from Riders were determined to chase the target and they finished the match in 18.3 overs. Nicholas Pooran was supported by Jason Roy, and Keacy Carty who made 64 and 13 runs respectively. 

Kyle Mayers of Patriots took wicket of Pooran, making him lose chance of his century at the homeground. However, he played well, and his knock made Riders win the match seamlessly in back-to-back victories. 

With the victory, Riders secured the fourth point and 10 points in the table and has been moving forward towards the playoffs. The match was filled with exciting twists and turns as both teams played exceptionally with batting and bowling. 

On the other hand, the Patriots were kicked off from the playoffs in the CPL tournament for remaining at the bottom of the table throughout the season. The match was the last game for the team which they lost and become the team with most losses as they only managed to win their opening game against Antigua and Barbuda Falcons throughout the season.  

As of now, two teams reached into the playoffs such as table topper- Saint Lucia Kings and third position holder Barbados Royals. 

The final is scheduled to be held on October 6, 2024, as only the top four teams will be able to reach into the playoffs. Along with Patriots, the campaign of Antigua and Barbuda Falcons also ended in the CPL tournament as they played 10 matches and won only three of them, standing on the fifth position with six points.