The 2021 Caribbean Premier League had finished on an exciting note, and we have a new champion in St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. The Patriots who had started in a dominant way winning their first five games kept up their spirits till the end winning the final by 3 wickets. It was one of the most exciting title deciders for any T20 league in recent years where the balance oscillated regularly with the Patriots winning the game off the last ball. The Saint Lucia Kings which had played well throughout the season suffered a big upset and saw a game slip out of their hands in the final overs. The side would have been heartbroken having finished one step short of a title win for the second consecutive season. The side is yet to win the title and they would take a shot at it in the next season with the consistency they have shown in recent years. It was a good season where we saw swashbuckling cricket from all sides. There were several memorable performances by the teams and individual players during the season. Let us look back at some of the highlights and best performances from the 2021 season of the Caribbean Premier League –
Saint Lucia Kings’ Roston Chase won the Player of the Tournament award for his 446 runs and 10 wickets in 12 games. This was one of the best all-round displays ever in the tournament but not enough in the end as his side finished as runner up for the second consecutive season.
Dominic Drakes was rightly adjudged the Man of the Match as he brought his side out of a near defeat situation with a wonderful knock of 48 runs off 24 balls. It was one of the best knocks in the final of this tournament which handed St Kitts and Nevis Patriots their first-ever title win.
Saint Lucia Kings’ Roston Chase finished as the top scorer of the season with 446 runs in 12 games at an average of 49.55. He was followed by St Kitts and Nevis Patriots’ Evin Lewis who made 426 runs in 11 games at an average of 47.33. Tim David of Saint Lucia Kings was third on the list with 282 runs in 12 games at an average of 35.25.
Trinbago Knight Riders’ Ravi Rampaul was the leading wicket-taker for the season finishing with 19 wickets at a strike rate of 12.20. Guyana Amazon Warriors’ Romario Shephard was next on the list with 18 wickets at a strike rate of 11.00. Third, on the list was his teammate Odean Smith with 18 wickets at a strike rate of 11.80.
Three hundreds were scored in this edition of the tournament. Saint Lucia Kings skipper Faf du Plessis topped the charts with his unbeaten 120 against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. Guyana Amazon Warriors’ Chandrapaul Hemraj was next for his unbeaten 105 against Barbados Royals. Completing the Top 3 was St Kits and Nevis Patriots’ Evin Lewis with his unbeaten 102 against Trinbago Knight Riders.
There were three five-wicket hauls this season with Trinbago Knight Riders’ Isuru Udana registering the best figures of 5 for 21 against Barbados Royals. Saint Lucia Kings’ David Wiese occupied the next two performances on his list with 5 for 25 and 5 for 39 against Barbados Royals and Trinbago Knight Riders respectively.
Jamaica Tallawahs posted the highest total of the season with their 255 for 5 against the Saint Lucia Kings. Next on the list was the Saint Lucia Kings with 224 for 2 against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. Jamaica Tallawahs also made the third-highest total of the season with their score of 211 for 10 against Saint Lucia Kings.
St Kitts and Nevis Patriots’ Sherfane Rutherford grabbed 11 catches in 11 games finishing as the most successful fielder in the season. He was followed by Barbados Royals’ skipper Jason Holder with 9 catches in 10 games and Saint Lucia Kings’ Alzarri Joseph who also took 9 catches in 10 games
St Lucia Kings’ Andre Fletcher finished as the most successful wicketkeeper for the second consecutive season with 14 dismissals (13c, 1st) to his name. Trinbago Knight Riders’ Denesh Ramdin had 10 dismissals (10c, 0st) to his name while Guyana Amazon Warriors’ Nicholas Pooran finished third with 7 dismissals (6c, 1st)
The ninth edition of the Caribbean Premier League saw great cricket from all sides. It was exciting to see a new side lift the title. It was very exciting for us to cover the tournament where we got a majority of our predictions and betting tips right. At BettingTop10 we would eagerly wait for the 2022 season of the league which will be the 10th edition of the tournament.
