Guyana Amazon Warriors scored 138/8 in 20 overs, where as Saint Lucia Kings scored 139/4 in 18.1 overs.
So, finally Saint Lucia Kings beat Guyana Amazon Warriors by 6 wickets.
After posting a modest total of 138 in the Caribbean Premier League 2024 final, the Guyana Amazon Warriors put forth a valiant bowling effort at the Providence Stadium.
However, it wasn’t enough to stop the Saint Lucia Kings from claiming their first CPL title, thanks to standout performances from Aaron Jones and Roston Chase.
Batting proved challenging on a slow, sluggish wicket in Guyana, and the Kings found themselves struggling at the halfway mark of their innings.
Chase was 14 off 15 balls with no boundaries before unleashing a powerful 39 not out from 22 deliveries.
Meanwhile, Jones had a slow start as well, scoring 10 off 19 without a boundary but later contributed crucial runs in the death overs, finishing unbeaten with 48 off 31 balls.
Together, they forged an 88-run partnership off 50 balls, striking 4 fours and 6 sixes, which enabled the Kings to reach their target in 18.1 overs.
The Kings faced a difficult start in their chase, despite Faf du Plessis and Johnson Charles hitting three fours between them.
Charles was bowled by Romario Shepherd for 7 runs off 10 balls, after which Shepherd exited the field with what appeared to be a side injury.
Du Plessis hit a six off Moeen Ali in the sixth over, but the Kings only managed to score 40 runs in the power play.
Moeen dismissed Du Plessis for a run-a-ball 21, and Ackeem Auguste was bowled by Kevin Sinclair, leaving the Kings in further trouble at 51/4 after 10 overs, with Tim Seifert trapped in front by Dwaine Pretorius.
The Amazon Warriors maintained their tight bowling, restricting Chase and Jones from finding boundaries, leading to a required run rate exceeding 13 at the end of the 15th over.
Facing a daunting 66 runs needed off 30 balls, Jones and Chase counterattacked Moeen in the 16th over, with Jones starting with a six and Chase following up with two maximums and two fours, resulting in a 27-run over that alleviated the pressure on the Kings’ batters.
As the partnership surpassed 50 runs, Jones intensified the scoring with two sixes and a four in a 20-run over off Pretorius, bringing the equation down to 19 runs needed from 18 balls.
Shepherd returned to bowl the 18th over but struggled to contain Jones, who hit a six and a four, aided by a couple of wides, yielding 18 runs in that over and leveling the scores.
Although Jones was given out lbw off Imran Tahir, he successfully used the DRS to overturn the decision.
He didn’t reach fifty, as the winning run for the Kings came from a wide delivery by Tahir.
Earlier in the match, after being asked to bat, the Amazon Warriors faced an early setback when the aggressive Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed without scoring in the opening over, caught off a full toss from Khary Pierre.
Shai Hope managed to strike a few boundaries, but the Kings’ bowlers kept the scoring tight, allowing only 27 runs for 1 wicket in the first six overs.
Hope fell for 22 runs off 24 balls after dragging a Chase delivery onto the stumps.
Shimron Hetmyer hit a six off Chase but was dismissed soon after, leaving the Warriors struggling at 49/3 at the halfway point.
Noor Ahmad claimed the vital wicket of Hetmyer, who sliced a catch to deep point for just 11 runs.
Sinclair managed a couple of boundaries off Khary Pierre, who ended with impressive figures of 1-21.
Matthew Forde took Sinclair’s wicket, while Keemo Paul and Raymon Reifer were dismissed by Alzarri Joseph and Noor, respectively.
The Amazon Warriors finally crossed the 100-run mark in the 18th over, but their last two overs were profitable, yielding 36 runs as Pretorius and Shepherd struck some significant hits, finishing close to 140 runs, which ultimately proved insufficient.
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