The season-opener of Caribbean Premier League 2021 will have reigning champions Trinbago Knight Riders pitted against Guyana Amazon Warriors, on Thursday, 26 August.
The Amazon Warriors have appointed Nicholas Pooran as their new captain, and Rayon Griffith as head coach. Griffith is also the assistant coach of West Indies. Pooran earlier led West Indies to a 4-1 triumph over Australia in the absence of Kieron Pollard.
Brandon King had a terrible campaign last year, and GAW would expect more from him. He will open the innings alongside Chandrapaul Hemraj. Ross Taylor will be unavailable for the season, so one of them between Mohammad Hafeez or Shoaib Malik is likely to bat at No. 4.
On the bowling front, Naveen-ul-Haq and Romario Shepherd will lead the pace attack, with Keemo Paul as third option. Imran Tahir and Kevin Sinclair will be tasked to lead the spin department.
Trinbago Knight Riders they will be without Dwayne Bravo, who has shifted base to St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. The opening pair of Lendl Simmons and Tim Seifert will be followed by a solid middle-order of Darren Bravo, Colin Munro and Kieron Pollard.
Jayden Seales will be high on confidence after a terrific debut Test season. He and Isuru Udana will be the frontline pacers of the side.
Betway Fantasy Tips
- Among wicketkeepers, pick only Pooran. Denesh Ramdin has not played Twenty20 cricket for some time, and it’s risky to pick him in the first game.
- Avoid picking King and Hemraj as well. Instead, go for Simmons and Seifert, the TKR openers.
- Seales, Tahir and Naveen should be the bowlers in your fantasy team.
Probable XIs
Guyana Amazon Warriors: Brandon King, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Mohammad Hafeez, Nicholas Pooran (c & wk), Shoaib Malik, Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd, Kevin Sinclair, Odean Smith, Naveen-ul-Haq, Imran Tahir
Trinbago Knight Riders: Lendl Simmons, Tim Seifert, Darren Bravo, Colin Munro, Kieron Pollard (c), Denesh Ramdin (wk), Isuru Udana, Sunil Narine, Akeal Hosein/Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales, Ali Khan
Prediction:
Guyana Amazon Warriors to start the campaign with a win.