The Sports Desk
St Lucia Kings qualified for the CPL 2025 playoffs with a crushing seven-wicket victory over Trinbago Knight Riders in Tarouba. Their spinners, led by Tabraiz Shamsi, ran through TKR for only 109 in the first innings before the batting line-up chased the target down in just 12 overs to storm to the top of the points table. The win also ended Knight Riders’ five-match winning streak.
Electing to bowl, Kings got off to an early start when Khary Pierre dismissed Colin Munro for a duck in the first over of the game. Darren Bravo fell shortly after, to leave TKR rocking. Skipper Nicholas Pooran tried to lead a fightback with a fluent 30, but they kept losing wickets at the other end. From the moment Roston Chase had Alex Hales bowled for 9 and then the leg side pendulum had Pooran caught behind, it all unraveled.
Those telling blows were struck by Shamsi. The left-arm wrist-spinner bamboozled Akeal Hosein with a wrong ’un, and then ended the threats of both Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell, the Knight Riders’ two shining lights. His 3 for 12 in four overs contained no boundaries conceded – a testament to his control and guile. Chase (2 for 19), Pierre (2 for 31) and Delano Potgieter (2 for 6) also made important contributions as TKR capitulated for a score well short of what they’d have hoped for.
Pursing 110, Tim Seifert started in blockbusting fashion with the very first ball. The New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter struck 25 off his first 10 balls with the help of a six and couple of boundaries to give Kings a rousing start. He would eventually be out for 36 off 19, but his aggression had already tipped the balance in Kings’ favour. Ackeem Auguste pitched in with 28 off 18 in a rapid partnership but it was Roston Chase and Tim David who ensured there were no hiccups as they finished the match with 53 balls to spare.
Not only did this win assure St Lucia Kings a spot in the playoffs but also ensured that they were on top of the table with four wins in as many games. It was a reality check for the Knight Riders, whose one-dimensional batting against spin was laid bare.
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