The end is nigh and tonight a thrilling grand finale is on the cards for the climax of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL), which has provided non-stop entertainment from start to finish.
Two teams who picked up momentum throughout the tournament and who now have supreme confidence and laser focus will lock horns in an historic encounter at 7 p.m.
The two protagonists, Antigua and Barbuda Falcons, in their third season, and Jamaica Kingsmen, who debuted this year, met in the first match six weeks ago on neutral turf at the picturesque Arnos Vale in St Vincent & the Grenadines. That match ended in a last-ball thriller, with Falcons winning by two wickets.
Now they will go head-to-head at another neutral location, the iconic Kensington Oval, as the region’s premier sporting arena becomes the stage for the 14th final, the first in Barbados.
Few venues in world cricket can match its history, character and atmosphere. From legendary Test battles to hosting World Cup finals, the Oval has long been a theatre for cricket’s greatest stories.
This view was shared by both captains, Rovman Powell, of the Kingsmen, and Moeen Ali, who leads the Falcons, at the pre-match press conference yesterday morning at the Hilton Resort.
Moeen acknowledged the strength of the Jamaica outfit, led by the might and muscle of Andre Russell, who returned home after several seasons with the Trinbago Knight Riders with the specific task of winning the title for his nation.
“We’re very happy to be in a final and things are going really well. We’ve just got better and better as the tournament’s gone on, played quite consistently and, obviously, with one more game to go, anything can happen,” Moeen said.
“Unless you win the final, coming second doesn’t really matter so much, so it’s a big game against a very, very good side.
“We felt like Jamaica was the most dangerous side. They’ve got some match winners and they’re a very, very good side, so we’re looking forward to a really good game and hopefully win,” he added.
Powell said the “Reggae Boys” must come up with a plan to neutralise the Falcons and their superb bowling attack, spearheaded by Alzarri Joseph, who has stated publicly that he returned home from St Lucia Kings to help win the title for his nation.
“I think, to be honest, we’re pleased to be in a final. When we sat down as a group before the start of the competition, we outlined three goals: to see if we can get in the play-offs, and once we got in the play-offs the second goal was to push for the final. The third goal is if we get to the final, to see if we can cross the line.
“When you look at it, it’s been up and down for us. When you look at the start and how we started the competition, I think that as the competition got on, we progressively got better as a team and started to find those winning formulas,” Powell said.
“Tomorrow [today] should be a very good game. Antigua is one of those teams that has played the best throughout the entire CPL and that’s why they finished in the top two. They have a lot of match winners, so it’s for us to come up with those little plans and see how best we can get over the line.”
The captains lauded the pitches at the Oval they have met so far in the play-offs.
“We saw two fantastic hundreds and then were able to chase down over 200 in the play-offs against Guyana last night [Friday] and that shows how good the quality of the wicket is,” Powell said.
“It shows when you provide good surfaces how exciting and entertaining the cricket can be when you provide proper wickets for us here in CPL.”
Moeen added: “There have been very good wickets here in Barbados at the at Kensington Oval. . . .We want good wickets to play on and we have received that.”
FULL SQUADS Antigua and Barbuda Falcons: Moeen Ali, Rahkeem Cornwall, Evin Lewis, Karima Gore, Alzarri Joseph, Amir Jangoo, Fabian Allen, Anthony Mahase, Jayden Seales, Anderson Phillip, Joshua James, Shadab Khan, Hasan Nawaz, Sufyan Mooqim, Shamar Springer, Jahmar Hamilton, Kusal Perera, Usama Mir; Paul Nixon (head coach) Jamaica Kingsmen: Rovman Powell (captain), Maaz Sadaqat, Kirk McKenzie, Keacy Carty, Romaine Morris, Andre Russell, Hassan Khan, Keemo Paul, Saim Ayub, Vitel Lawes, Hunain Shah, Shaqkere Parris, Usman Khan, Odean Smith, Jediah Blades, Kelvin Pitman, Jeavor Royal; Grant Bradburn (head coach)
MATCH OFFICIALS Umpires: Deighton Butler, Zahid Bassarath Television umpire: Leslie Reifer Jr Fourth umpire: Gregory Brathwaite Match referee: Reon King PAST CPL WINNERS 2013: Jamaica Tallawahs 2014: Barbados Tridents 2015: Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel 2016: Jamaica Tallawahs 2017: Trinbago Knight Riders 2018: Trinbago Knight Riders 2019: Barbados Tridents 2020: Trinbago Knight Riders 2021: St Kitts and Nevis Patriots 2022: Jamaica Tallawahs 2023: Guyana Amazon Warriors 2024: St Lucia Kings 2025: Trinbago Knight Riders
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