Bengaluru, August 15: The Caribbean Premier League (CPL 2020) will usher in franchise-based cricket as the sport crawls back from the Coronavirus inflicted crisis. The first match will be played between Trinbag Knight Riders and last year's runners-up Guyana Amazon Warriors on Tuesday (August 18).
The Knight Riders are three-time champions and the most successful CPL outfit as well. The Warriors, meanwhile, have a good mix of players drawing strength from youth and experience and should be a top draw in the CPL 2020.
It's indeed an opening match befitting a tournament that has gradually grown in stature since its inception in 2013 and has increasingly seen participation by marquee players from around the globe.
From the Knight Riders side, we will see the likes of Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Lendl Simmons and Pravin Tambe, the first Indian cricketer to appear in the CPL. Tambe, a leg-spinner all of 48, has represented Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Lions and Kolkata Knight Riders in the past in the IPL and he will be hoping to parade his skills in the Caribbean.
The Warriors too have their own stars like Ross Taylor, Imran Tahir and Nicholas Pooran etc who can thrill the viewers to no end. And keep in mind that the tournament will be held behind closed doors owing to the Covid 19 crisis.
1. Probable XIs
Trinbag Knight Riders: Kieron Pollard (Captain), Lendl Simmons, Colin Munro, Darren Bravo, Tim Seifert (wk), Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales, Pravin Tambe, Anderson Phillip.
Guyana Amazon Warriors: Chris Green (Captain), Brandon King, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Ross Taylor, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Odean Smith, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Imran Tahir, Romario Shepherd.
2. Dream11
Lendl Simmons, Brandon King, Ross Taylor, Kieron Pollard (captain), Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, Sherfane Rutherford, Keemo Paul, Imran Tahir.
3. Match details
Date: August 18 (Tuesday)
Time: 7.30 PM IST
Venue: Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad
Live telecast, Live streaming: Star Sports, FanCode