Defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders defeated Guyana Amazon Warriors by 8 wickets to retain the Caribbean Premier League title at the Brian Lara Stadium on Sunday. It was also their third title in the last four years and second consecutive.
The Knight Riders skipper Dwayne Bravo won the toss and chose to field in a rain-hit final. His decision was vindicated by his bowlers, who restricted the Amazon Warriors 147/9 at the end of 20 overs.
Openers Brendon McCullum (39) and Dinesh Ramdin (24) then got the reigning champions off to a flyer scoring 50 within the 6-over powerplay. Ramdin’s wicket then brought the tournament’s leading scorer Colin Munro to the crease. The New Zealander, who had scored 66 in the last edition’s final once again stepped up starring with another excellent knock to lead his side to the title.
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Munro, justifiably hit the winning boundary to remain unbeaten on 68 from just 39 balls. He was also adjudged the Player of the Tournament for scoring over 500 runs that included six half-centuries.
Meanwhile, another New Zealand batsman Luke Ronchi top-scored for Guyana with a well-made 44. No other batsman managed to reach the 30-run mark as Khary Pierre ran havoc claiming three wickets for just 29 runs. Ali Khan was the Knight Rider’s most economical bowler giving away just 20 runs in his four overs and also taking a wicket.
DJ Bravo thanked his team-mates at the post-match presentation and said, “Thanks to almighty God and thanks to my team-mates. To my team, this victory is for Trinidad and Tobago. In a tournament like this, you can lose close games but we had the best team and we deserved to win. I am happy with the way our team played throughout the tournament. I think the first ball of the day by Ali Khan set the tone for us. Ronchi got them off to a great start but Pierre showed his courage to come back. Colin Munro put an icing on the cake along with Brendon McCullum.
Image Source: Cricket Addictor