PROVIDENCE – The St Lucia Kings delivered a dominant performance to secure their place in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) play-offs, registering a comfortable seven-wicket victory over table-toppers Barbados Royals at the National Stadium in Providence, Guyana, on Saturday.
In a match where Roston Chase displayed his all-round brilliance and Alzarri Joseph tore through the Royals’ batting line-up, the Kings notched their fifth win of the tournament to join the Royals at the top of the standings on 10 points.
Asked to bat first, the Royals struggled to gain any momentum and were reduced to a meager total of 96-9. Their innings unraveled quickly as Joseph made an immediate impact, removing the dangerous opener Quinton de Kock for just two runs, followed by Rahkeem Cornwall for the same score.
Chase then joined the party, dismissing Kadeem Alleyne for four to deepen the Royals’ woes, leaving them in disarray at 13-3 within the first three overs. When captain Rovman Powell fell cheaply to Joseph, the Royals could only muster 28 runs by the end of the powerplay.
Little respite
The middle overs provided little respite for the Royals, with Chase and Noor Ahmad continuing to dismantle the batting order. Despite brief resistance from David Miller and Jason Holder, who both made 21, the Royals never recovered. Joseph finished with superb figures of 4-22, while Chase claimed 3-18 to cap off an excellent bowling display.
In response, the Kings’ run chase began shakily with Jason Holder striking early to dismiss Johnson Charles for six, followed by a wicket-maiden from Maheesh Theekshana. However, Faf du Plessis quickly quashed any nerves, blasting boundaries off Holder and a six off Theekshana to stabilize the innings.
Though du Plessis was stumped after the powerplay for a well-made 26, Chase once again stepped up. He partnered with Tim Seifert in an unbeaten 48-run, fifth-wicket stand, steering the Kings to victory in the 14th over. Chase finished on 39 not out, with Seifert contributing 21 as the Kings completed their chase with 37 balls to spare, confirming their place in the CPL play-offs.
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