Knight Riders vs Kings - Qualifier 2 [8:00 PM]

Venue: Providence Stadium, Guyana

In reply to Narper

Money on SLK......

In reply to Onionman0

TKR for me.

Kings will field

Saint Lucia Kings have won the toss and have opted to field

WID VOR on a roll I so afraid for Kings tonight
I expect dem man to lose.

In reply to Narper

OK Narps .....Pooooooooooooo will lead today

The Pittons are destroyed

Nicholas Pooran: "We're happy to bat first. Honestly, it's a play-off game, and the wickets have been really good here the last couple of days. The dew factor has also gotten better with the spray, so that's good. In a playoff game, runs on the board are really important, so we're looking forward to that opportunity. We try our best to stay in the present as much as possible. If that intensity is required, it's required, but we try to play the game in the best spirit we can. It's not only important for me but for everyone on our roster. We try our best to win every single game. We try to be the best players we can every single night we get the opportunity, and we are just really grateful for the opportunity. So we're looking forward to putting on a show today. Same 11. No changes."


David Wiese: "We're going to bowl first. It's a fresh wicket tonight, so we're not quite sure what to expect from it. Usually, in a night game, the wicket tends to get better, so we're going to try and take advantage of that. [Qualifier 1 result] You can never wipe a memory 100% because there are a lot of things you can learn from that game. There were a lot of positives that we can take from it. To be in that position we were, just to get so close in the end, it shows the resilience we have in the team. So we can take confidence from that, but also know that we weren't quite good enough the other night, and tonight, we just have to rectify that. It's about spending 10-15 minutes just reflecting and seeing where we went wrong, and then learning from that. After that, we just have to put that memory in the past because we can't do anything about it. We come back with a fresh mind, and hopefully, we can go and get the job done tonight. We've got the same team tonight. No changes."

The pitch at Providence has been dominating, with spinners finding it tricky for the batters to settle. Both teams will have to play smart cricket and adapt to the conditions if they want to advance to the finals. There isn't much to separate these two teams, but in their last five head-to-head matchups, the Knight Riders have the edge with three wins. In their most recent encounter, however, the Kings won comfortably by seven wickets.


The St Lucia Kings, who finished the league phase at the top of the table, have unfortunately lost their footing at the most crucial time, with a rare three-match losing streak. They failed to chase down 157 runs against the Warriors in Qualifier 1, a match where Gudakesh Motie ran riot with the ball. The Kings will be looking to bounce back with all their might and force today. The Knight Riders, on the other hand, have kept their hopes alive with a thumping nine-wicket win against the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in the Eliminator. Their biggest sign of relief would be the return to form of skipper Nicholas Pooran, who struck an unbeaten 90 runs off 53 balls. Alex Hales also got back in the runs with an unbeaten 54. Their spin trio of Akeal Hosein, Usman Tariq, and Sunil Narine has been superb throughout the tournament and could once again play a crucial role tonight.

DaWolf: "Right decision to bowl first. No team in the world wants to face a lineup including Pollard and Russell when they know how many runs they need to get."


Joel: "TKR look rather light on bowling options"

Colin Munro: "[On the mindset] Just focusing on ourselves and each person trying to play their role as best they can. Looking too far ahead puts yourself under pressure. So just go out there and try and execute your skills as best you can, and the best team will win on the night. [Batting form] I've probably gone a little bit too hard the last few games, to be honest. But that's the way that I want to play, and the way that I want to go out of my career. There have been a few times where I've hit the ball straight down the fielder's throat, and you walk off and you go, 'what if?' So tonight, hopefully, something is different. [New logo on the bat] Dinesh Ramdin, a TKR player and someone that I got on really well with, reached out to me. He's trying to make a brand for himself. I was using a blank bat when I first got here, and he said, 'Would you want to use my stickers?' I said, "Why not?' So I'm trying to promote his brand and help him out. It's a nice way to give back to him. The tape at the bottom of it is because the bat was a bit broken down at the bottom. I've got it fixed, but I just wanted it to look exactly the same as it was before, so I put the tape back on. I wish it was something a little bit more quirky than that, but that's all it is. [On Alzarri Joseph standing behind and smiling] I've spoken to a few of the boys, including Alex Hales, and I said, 'Mate, I've never seen Alzarri Joseph smile.' He said, 'Mate, you've got to play golf with him.' So hopefully, there's a time where I can go and play golf with him. I think they're coming to New Zealand as well, so I've spoken to a few of the boys who are going to be over there, and hopefully, I can host him at my house. We'll take him out for dinner and hopefully see him smile a little bit."

Pitch Report from Danny Morrison and Nikhil Uttamchandani: "Let's check out the dimensions. There's only a one-meter difference in the square boundaries. The biggest side is 65 meters to the western side, and 64 meters back to the eastern terrace. And, of course, the straight boundary is 75 meters. There's no challenge with the weather either, because it's very comfortable, with low humidity and a nice wind coming from the east. This spray, though, is important, because with that wind and this spray, it means we have no dew to worry about. [22 yards] What I like about this is that it's very different from what we've had in the past. There's a bit of a sheen about it. It's hard, and hence the scores have been so much better here in recent times. So again, I think it lends itself to very, very exciting cricket."

In reply to Narper

No OT for $ammy's Kings. I'm disappointed.

0.6
W
Pierre to Munro, OUT
Colin Munro b Pierre 6 (6b 0x4 1x6) SR: 100

Trinbago Knight Riders
(0.6/20 ov) 6/1

0.4
K Pierre to Munro, SIX, a telling blow to start! Gets under the ball outside off and launches it over long-off. Flat and big hit