Despite the disruption from the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic, CPL is still among the most looked forward to the sports event. And as the virus spread is contained now, the league is set to resume though with health precaution measures. Among the precautions are games played behind closed doors and mandatory periodic COVID-19 tests to players.
The CPL 2020 has set the return date to August 18th, 2020, and runs to September 10th. Here is what you should know about the league as it stands.
CPL Point Table
As of now, the Trinbago Knight Riders top the Caribbean Premier League points table with 10 points after their impressive win 5/5 games. Following closely is the St Lucia Zouks with 8 points with one more game played. The Saints have won 4 out of the 6 games played so far. The defending champions — Barbados Tridents, are occupying the third slot. The Tridents 2 games out of the 5 games they have played in the CPL. In the fourth position are the Guyana Amazon Warriors, who have managed two wins out of the six games they have participated in.
Tailing at the logs are Jamaica Tallawahs and St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots. The two semi-final spots are up for grabs, and with four teams tied on four points, the competition will be stiff. Only exempted are the Nevis Patriots, who, with 2 points, seem to be out of the contention.
Top Performing Players
As at the time of the break-in March, you could see top performing players in the CPL; here’s a look at them with anticipation of them continuing in the form.
Topping among batsmen is Shimron Hetmyer of Guyana Amazon Warriors team. He leads with empathic 169 runs in six innings, topping it up with two half-centuries. Close competitors are West India duos, who happen to be both left-handed. The two—Kyle Mayers and Evin Lewis have both amassed 161 runs in five innings. Not far behind are St Lucia’s Roston Chase, Trinbago’s Darren Bravo, and Colin Munro with 156, 147, and 133 runs, respectively.
So far in the league, pitches have favored the spinners. The variable bounce and turn have helped them outdo opposing batsmen. Topping in this category is Jamaica Tallawahs’ Mujeeb ur Rahman, who leads the tally of wicket-takers with 12 wickets in the 5 games the team has played. Following closely are Imran Tahir of the Amazon Warriors and St Lucia’s Scott Kuggeleijin, both tying at 11 wickets in the 6 games their respective teams have played.
Also topping in other areas are Sunil Narine, Jason Holder, and Rashid Khan with both ball and bat. As the league plans to resume, the CPL player point table looks interesting, with four players to focus on. These players are:
- Chris Lynn- St Kitts and Nevis Patriots
Chris Lynn has been the face of CPL. Known as a dangerous willow-wielder, he boasts of a 144.15 strike rate. He will be part of the Patriots’ fulcrum. A known match-winner, Chris will be looking to set things rolling.
- Oshane Thomas- Jamaica Tallawahs
He is among the 5 players retained by Jamaica Tallawahs. Thomas will be yearning to make a statement once the league resumes.
- Jason Holder- Barbados Tridents
Having previously contributed to the team’s previous victories with both ball and bat, he is a winner. Jason boasts of experience, and with other equally talented teammates, he will be aiming for the title.
- Ross Taylor- Guyana Amazon Warriors
With an impressive 724 runs in four seasons for the Warriors, Taylor is a player to focus on. With an average of 31.5 in 38 matches, this is one player that can catapult Guyana Warriors to the championship.
Important Upcoming Matches
The 2021 CPL schedule for matches you should look forward to are as follows:
- Saturday, August 29th, 7;30 PM IST: Trinbago Knight Riders vs. Barbados Tridents
- Saturday, August 29th, 11:45 PM IST: Jamaica Tallawahs vs. St Kitts and Nevis Patriots
- Sunday, August 30th, 7:30 PM IST: Barbados Tridents vs. St Lucia Zouks
- Sunday, August 30th, 11:45 PM IST: Guyana Amazon Warriors vs. St Kitts and Nevis Patriots
- Tuesday, September 1st,7:30 PM IST: Trinbago Knight Riders vs. Jamaica Tallawahs
Keep it here for more.
