Antigua and Barbuda Falcons scored 145/9 in 20 overs, where as Barbados Royals scored 149/1 in 15.3 overs.
So, finally Barbados Royals won by 9 wickets.
The Barbados Royals kicked off their CPL 2024 campaign in dominant fashion, crushing the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons by nine wickets at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
This defeat leaves the new franchise winless, having now lost all three of their matches.
Antigua started brightly, with Kofi James smashing Maheesh Theekshana for a six and a four in the opening over.
However, the early momentum was short-lived, as James was dismissed by Jason Holder in the following over.
After a brief lull, Fakhar Zaman injected some energy into the innings by attacking Obed McCoy with a series of boundaries.
But Zaman’s aggression backfired as he was dismissed soon after, putting his team in a precarious position.
Dunith Wellalage struck with his very first ball to remove Sam Billings, and Imad Wasim failed to make an impact as Antigua slumped to 47/4.
The situation could have worsened if not for a crucial partnership between Jewell Andrew and skipper Chris Green, which helped stabilize the innings.
However, just as they appeared to be recovering, Theekshana returned to the attack and dealt another blow.
Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, and Antigua finished with a subpar total of 145/9.
Any hopes of defending that score evaporated quickly during the powerplay.
Imad Wasim was the only bowler who managed to keep things somewhat under control, while the others leaked runs in all directions.
Mohammad Amir, in particular, bore the brunt of the onslaught as Rahkeem Cornwall and Quinton de Kock dismantled the bowling attack.
De Kock effectively sealed the game in the final over of the powerplay, hammering Shamar Springer for 6, 4, 0, 4, 6, 4 as the Royals raced to 76 runs in just six overs.
Although Imad managed to break the opening partnership by dismissing Cornwall for 34 immediately after the powerplay, Antigua needed a miracle to turn things around.
That miracle never came, as de Kock and Shamarh Brooks continued to toy with the bowling attack, cruising to victory.
De Kock completed a well-deserved half-century and sealed the win with a flourish, smashing Amir for a four and a six.
The Royals chased down the target with 27 balls to spare.
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