FANTASY PREVIEW
Follow UsNOTE: All statistics as of September 4, 2021. (Till CPL Match 15)
It took six games for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots to lose their first match of the season, but defeat number one, for the Dwayne Bravo-led side, turned out to be a humiliation of the highest order. Powered by a Faf du Plessis ton, Saint Lucia Kings posted a mammoth 224 on board before bowling out the Patriots for a mere 124 to win by an astonishing hundred-run margin.
Despite the loss the Patriots remain untouched at the top of the table, but with the two sides set to clash again in less than 24 hours, Saturday’s result might just end up having a great influence on how the two sides approach the rematch on Sunday. Mind you, a second consecutive win over the Patriots will take the Kings to 8 points, closing down the gap at the top of the table to just 2. Thus, it will be imperative for the table toppers to flush Saturday’s result out of their system.
CPL Head-to-Head
Overall matches
Played 13 | Saint Lucia Kings W6 | St Kitts and Nevis Patriots W5 | No Result 2
Last 5 matches
Saint Lucia Kings W4 | St Kitts and Nevis Patriots W1
Ground Details
The Patriots vs Kings clash on Sunday will mark the 17th match at Warner Park this season, but, rather than the overall numbers, it would be more relevant to look at trends and statistics that are recent. Let us look at a sample size of five matches (Match 11 to Match 15) and delve into the numbers.
The overall average first innings total in CPL 2021 has been 160, but in the sample size taken above, this number has risen to 167. No doubt the 224 posted by the Kings on Saturday increased the numbers, but teams, in general, have been doing alright batting first.
160, 149, 166 and 138 are the four other batting first scores that have been posted, with the chasing side winning 3 of the 5 matches. But given what happened on Saturday, though, you suspect both the teams will be looking to bat first.
8 of the 12 wickets that fell in these two sides’ H2H clash at this venue on Saturday were taken by pacers, but what about the general trend in the sample size we’ve taken? Well, that’s been dominated by pace too. In the last 5 matches at this venue, pacers have accounted for nearly 73% of the wickets to fall. They’ve had a significantly better strike rate (14.7) than the spinners (23.3) as well.
What’s interesting, however, is the success leg-spinners have had. In the aforementioned five games, leg spinners have boasted an ER of just 6.1, the lowest among all bowling types. Their average (42.5) and SR (42) is the worst of the lot, but leggies have proved to be effective containers. That’s reason enough for the Patriots to once again lay their trust on Fawad Ahmed, who finished with figures of 1/23 (ER 5.80) in the game on Saturday in which his side conceded 224.
Suggested Team
Our suggested team does not have the Universe Boss, but it does, however, include the man of the moment Faf du Plessis, who struck the first ton of CPL 2021 on Saturday.
Just our suggestion, though. Remember, you always have the option of choosing your own team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Based on your preferences, the platform will guide you to create the ideal fantasy XI.
Captain
After what he did on Saturday, it would be preposterous to look beyond du Plessis. After taking a handful of games to settle, the former South African skipper found his groove and put on a T20 exhibition. With the rematch starting in under 24 hours, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to expect du Plessis to fare at least half as well as he did on Saturday (that, in itself, would be A LOT, mind you).
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts du Plessis to score 32-48 runs on Sunday.
X-factors
Overlooking Evin Lewis for captaincy duties was tough, so here he is, as the first x-factor pick. Lewis was the only Patriots batsman to score over 15 on Saturday, and his 42-ball 73 took him atop the run-scoring charts for the season. Currently in red-hot form, it is a no-brainer to back the southpaw.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Lewis to score 34-50 runs.
Roston Chase is x-factor number two and honestly, it is a choice that is undebatable. He is currently the second highest run-getter in CPL 2021, but his form is outrageous. Chase backed his 85 against the Warriors with a 31-ball 64* on Saturday, double-teaming with du Plessis to pile misery on the Patriots.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Chase to score 18-26 runs
Sherfane Rutherford did not fire on Saturday, but the youngster continues to remain a force to be reckoned with. He is, incidentally, the third highest run-getter in CPL 2021, and he almost perfectly fits in here as the third x-factor. He might have failed in Saturday’s clash, but it is worth remembering that it was only five days ago that the 23-year-old struck back-to-back unbeaten, match-winning fifties.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Rutherford to score 17-25 runs