In just 24 hours, the St. Lucia Kings secured back-to-back wins over the Barbados Royals, this time in Guyana, to climb to the top of the standings with 12 points. Johnson Charles and Tim Seifert provided a solid foundation with a total of 162/3, and their bowling attack ensured the Royals were left short in their pursuit. Despite a promising start by openers Quinton de Kock and Kadeem Alleyne, the Royals’ chase lost momentum, ultimately falling 13 runs short as they crumbled under a collective bowling effort. Alzarri Joseph, Noor Ahmad, and David Wiese each claimed two wickets.
After being asked to bat first, St. Lucia Kings lost their captain, Faf du Plessis, during the powerplay, but Charles led the charge, particularly taking on Maheesh Theekshana. He also went after Keshav Maharaj, who had dismissed du Plessis, with Charles contributing 30 of the 42 runs scored in the first six overs. He built a partnership with Ackreem Auguste, but Rakheem Cornwall’s tight overs slowed down the pace. Charles was dismissed shortly after reaching his half-century with a six, leaving just 37 runs scored between the 10th and 15th overs. Auguste retired hurt on 35 off 32 balls, but Seifert kept the momentum going, smashing 60 runs in the last five overs to finish unbeaten on 45 from 25 deliveries, including three fours and three sixes.
The Royals got off to a flying start, with their openers smashing 52 runs in just the first four overs. However, the dismissals of de Kock, who fell to a cleverly disguised slower ball from Joseph in the fifth over, and Alleyne, out to an off-spinner Mikkel Govia delivery in the ninth over, derailed their chase. Between those wickets, Kharry Pierre also removed Cornwall in the eighth over.
By the halfway mark, the Royals had collapsed to 87/4, with Noor Ahmad taking Rovman Powell’s wicket. The situation worsened as Noor bowled a maiden over to David Miller in the 14th, before dismissing him for a sluggish 22-ball 21. The chase fell apart, with Wiese and Joseph controlling the death overs, leaving the Royals with too much to do. Needing 21 runs off the final over, Joseph comfortably defended the target.
Brief Scores:
St. Lucia Kings 162/3 in 20 overs (Johnson Charles 53, Tim Seifert 45; Keshav Maharaj 1-31) defeated Barbados Royals 149/8 in 20 overs (Kadeem Alleyne 47; Alzarri Joseph 2-30, Noor Ahmad 2-20, David Wiese 2-17) by 13 runs.