Saint Lucia Kings vs Trinbago Knight Riders, L T20 2023, Today Match Prediction 26 August 2023

SLK vs TKR Match Prediction & Analysis

Saint Lucia Kings and Trinbago Knight Riders will lock horns at Warner Park in St Kitts. 4 of the 6 matches played in St Lucia this season were washed out due to rain. 

A change in the venue could also change this trend of matches being abandoned due to rain. The first game of this season at Warner Park saw Jamaica Tallawahs easily chase down 157 runs with 9 wickets in hand and 21 balls to spare.

Saint Lucia Kings suffered an 11-run defeat against JT in the season opener but soon made a comeback with a 201-run score batting first in the next match. Rain once again played spoilsport as they took on Guyana in the next game.

But at least the Kings have played two games where they’ve been able to assess their key players and their strengths. Knight Riders, however, haven’t had any game time yet with their only game being abandoned after just 3 overs.

RECENT PERFORMANCE

SLK

W L

SLK

201/6 in 20.0 10.05

L T20 2023

18 Aug 2023

BR

147/10 in 20.0 7.35

SLK

176/8 in 20.0 8.8

L T20 2023

Jamaica Tallawahs beat Saint Lucia Kings by 11 runs 17 Aug 2023

JT

187/10 in 20.0 9.35

TKR

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

Saint Lucia Kings Preview

Saint Lucia Kings replaced Matthew Forde with Jair McAlister in their last match against Guyana. This was right after Forde had delivered a match-winning spell of 3 for 12 from 3 overs with 1 maiden.

McAlister started with a win in his first over against Guyana as he bowled the attacking Azam Khan breaking the 42-run stand for the 2nd wicket. That would have been a crucial point in the innings turning the momentum in the Kings’ favor but the rain had other plans.

Chris Sole, the right-arm fast-medium bowler from Scotland, who was expensive in the first two outings, had picked 1 for 22 from 2 overs against Guyana. He will be one to watch out for as he’s consistently been expensive.

There is great variety in the bowling attack with Alzarri Joseph, Khary Pierre, Sikandar Raza, and Roston Chase. Raza is a key all-rounder in this squad. 

He was crucial in their win scoring 23 off 13 at number 5 and picking up a wicket for 21 runs from 4 overs. The big news for Saint Lucia Kings is the openers finding their form. Johnson Charles and Faf du Plessis are match-winning players at the top.

And with Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza at 4 and 5, the Kings pack a strong punch in the middle order while Roshon Primus, a batting all-rounder at number 7 adds depth to this batting lineup.

Saint Lucia Kings Predicted Playing XI:

Johnson Charles (wk), Faf du Plessis (c), Sadrack Descarte, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Roston Chase, Roshon Primus, Alzarri Joseph, Khary Pierre, Chris Sole, Jair McAllister

Saint Lucia Kings Actual Playing XI:

Sikandar Raza, Roshon Primus, Roston Chase, Khary Pierre, McKenny Clarke, Alzarri Joseph, Faf du Plessis, Johnson Charles, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Sean Williams, Peter Hatzoglou

Trinbago Knight Riders Preview

It wasn’t the kind of start Knight Riders would have hoped for after their disastrous performance in the last season. A win would have definitely rejuvenated their hopes at the start of a new season.

But to have the game washed out at a point where the batters were visibly struggling with an experienced Martin Guptill back in the hut for 11 off 15 balls isn’t good for their morale.

They will be playing their second game of the season after a gap of one week. TKR changed their opening combination sending Mark Deyal to open instead of playing at 3. Neither Deyal nor Guptill could deliver but will be expected to improve in this game.

There’s Chadwick Walton at number 3, an experienced attacking middle-order batsman who didn’t get many chances at the international level. Further down the order, there are the big guns who would look to score big from the get-go.

The top 3 need to build a partnership to set the stage for the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard, and especially Andre Russell to finish on. 

The batting lineup is very deep with Dwayne Bravo and Sunil Narine coming in at 7 and 8 while Akeal Hossein is also handy with the bat at number 9.

On paper, TKR have a solid-looking squad with some promising bowlers and all-rounders who should ideally dominate in team in L.

Trinbago Knight Riders Predicted Playing XI:

Martin Guptill, Mark Deyal, Chadwick Walton (wk), Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard (c), Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, Akeal Hosein, Jayden Seales, Kadeem Alleyne

Trinbago Knight Riders Actual Playing XI:

Dwayne Bravo, Martin Guptill, Akeal Hosein, Kieron Pollard, Chadwick Walton, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Mark Deyal, Jaden Carmicheal, Ali Khan

Weather Conditions

The pitch seems a little tricky. The bowlers would find assistance during the first half making it slightly difficult for the batters to time their shots. But as the game progresses, batting on this surface would get easier. The weather would be partly cloudy with a high of 29 degrees Celsius on the match day.

SLK vs TKR Pitch Report

Warner Park, Basseterre in St Kitts and Nevis will host the 9th match of L 2023 as Saint Lucia Kings take on Trinbago Knight Riders. The average 1st innings score at this venue is 164 runs in domestic T20s. Given how easy JT made the run-chase look in the recent match here, the team batting first would need at least 180 or more runs to be in a strong position to win the game.

Toss: To Bowl

Most teams have preferred to bowl first on this ground and also found success while doing so. In the first game at this venue this year, Jamaica Tallawahs aced the run-chase against SNP. 

Both Saint Lucia and Trinabgo have a strong batting lineup with many experienced players at crucial positions. And they will back themselves to chase down a score on this ground.