Barbados Royals pulled off a thrilling two-wicket victory against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots at Warner Park in Basseterre, St Kitts, making it their second win in as many games. The Royals chased down a target of 154 runs with just one ball to spare. Dunith Wellalage was the standout player for the Royals, delivering an all-round performance that proved crucial to their win. He first took 3 wickets for 35 runs and then played a key innings, scoring 39 off 32 balls. Nyeem Young’s quickfire 17* off just 7 balls in the final moments also made a big difference, helping the Royals over the line. The defeat marked the fourth straight loss for the Patriots in the tournament.
The Royals’ chase got off to a rocky start. Rahkeem Cornwall was dismissed for a duck in the very first over by Kyle Mayers. In the fifth over, Mayers struck again, getting rid of Quinton de Kock, one of the Royals’ key batters. This left the team struggling at 25/2 early in the innings. However, Kadeem Alleyne stepped up and played a quick, aggressive knock. He scored 30 runs from 18 balls, hitting one four and three sixes. One of his standout moments was smashing two sixes and a boundary in an over off Wanindu Hasaranga, giving the Royals some much-needed momentum as they crossed 50 runs by the end of the powerplay.
But just as the Royals were beginning to find their footing, they lost Alleyne to a good delivery from Veerasammy Permaul. The Patriots then tightened their grip on the game with some disciplined bowling, slowing down the scoring rate. Hasaranga continued to play a key role, dismissing Shamarh Brooks after being hit for a six. By the halfway mark, the Royals were in a tricky position at 72/4, needing their middle-order batters to step up.
Rovman Powell, the Royals’ captain, tried to take control of the situation. He hit a six and a four off Mohammad Mohsin in the 12th over to revive the innings. Wellalage, who had already shone with the ball, now made his presence felt with the bat. He hit three boundaries in one over off Mohsin and added two more off Ryan John, keeping the Royals in the chase. Despite this, the Patriots fought back with crucial wickets. At the end of 17 overs, the Royals were 126/6, with the game hanging in the balance. Nortje bowled a tight 18th over, conceding only six runs and dismissing Powell, while Wellalage had earlier been run out.
Jason Holder then brought the game back into the Royals’ favor by hitting a six off Mohsin in the 18th over, bringing the target down to 17 runs from the last two overs. Young then played a vital role, hitting a crucial boundary off Nortje in the 19th over. Although Holder was dismissed in the final over, with the Royals needing 8 runs to win, Young kept his cool. He got a lucky boundary and then, with 3 runs needed from the last two balls, finished the game with a six, sealing a dramatic win for the Royals.
Earlier in the match, the Patriots had a poor start after being put in to bat. Their top three batters, including star player Evin Lewis, got out without scoring. Maheesh Theekshana trapped Lewis lbw, and Wellalage dismissed Andre Fletcher in similar fashion, leaving the Patriots reeling. They were 3 wickets down with no runs on the board. However, Wanindu Hasaranga and Mikyle Louis staged a recovery with a counter-attacking 82-run partnership. Hasaranga played a brisk knock, scoring 40 off 27 balls, including 5 fours and a six. Louis supported him well with a 20-ball 30, hitting two sixes and three fours.
Just as the Patriots were building a solid foundation, they suffered another collapse, losing three quick wickets and slipping from 82/3 to 84/6 in the span of two overs. Wellalage was again instrumental, taking key wickets and breaking the partnership. The Patriots struggled to regain momentum and focused on trying to bat out their 20 overs. Josh Clarkson and Mohammad Mohsin added 20 runs, but their partnership was slow, consuming 38 balls. The Patriots showed some urgency towards the end, with Ryan John scoring a quick 29 off 14 balls in a 49-run stand with Clarkson. This late effort helped the Patriots reach 153/8 in their 20 overs.
Brief scores:
St Kitts and Nevis Patriots: 153/8 in 20 overs (Wanindu Hasaranga 40, Mikyle Louis 30; Dunith Wellalage 3-35, Maheesh Theekshana 2-16).
Barbados Royals: 157/8 in 19.5 overs (Dunith Wellalage 39, Kadeem Alleyne 30; Kyle Mayers 2-17, Veerasammy Permaul 1-16).
Barbados Royals won by 2 wickets.
| Match Details | St Kitts and Nevis Patriots | Barbados Royals |
|---|---|---|
| Total Score | 153/8 in 20 overs | 157/8 in 19.5 overs |
| Top Run Scorers | Wanindu Hasaranga – 40 (27) | Dunith Wellalage – 39 (32) |
| Mikyle Louis – 30 (20) | Kadeem Alleyne – 30 (18) | |
| Top Wicket Takers | Kyle Mayers – 2/17 | Dunith Wellalage – 3/35 |
| Veerasammy Permaul – 1/16 | Maheesh Theekshana – 2/16 | |
| Notable Contributions | Ryan John – 29 (14) | Nyeem Young – 17* (7) |
| Josh Clarkson – 13* (27) | Jason Holder – 18 (9) | |
| Fall of Wickets | 0/1, 0/2, 0/3, 82/4, 83/5, 84/6 | 5/1, 25/2, 55/3, 72/4, 109/5, |
| 118/6, 149/7, 157/8 | ||
| Result | Barbados Royals won by 2 wickets |
