A new champion will be crowned in this year’s Hero Caribbean Premier League T20 tournament as St Lucia Kings churned out a nervy 21-run victory over title holders Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) at Warner Park, in St Kitts, on Tuesday.

In pursuit of their highest run chase of the tournament so far, 206 for victory, TKR faltered at the end and were dismissed for 184.

Batting first, brazen knocks from Mark Deyal (78), Tim David (38 not out), David Wiese (34 not out) and Roston Chase (36) propelled the St Lucia franchise over the 200-run mark for the second time at this year’s tournament.

Spinner Sunil Narine was the most economical of TKR’s bowling attack as he bagged one wicket, the main man Deyal, for 12 runs. Pacer Ravi Rampaul (1/56) was most expensive with the ball this time around.

[caption id="attachment_913020" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Mark Deyal of Saint Lucia Kings hits 4 during the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League Play-Off match 31 between Saint Lucia Kings and Trinbago Knight Riders at Warner Park Sporting Complex on September 14, 2021 in Basseterre, St Kitts. - Photo courtesy CPL T20[/caption]

In their turn at the crease, TKR looked good although losing Lendl Simmons (4) early on. Sunil Narine (30) brought some stability to the innings but a well-worked 41-run partnership from Darren Bravo (25) and Denesh Ramdin (29), partnered with a quick-fire knock from TKR skipper Kieron Pollard (26 runs from 13 balls) brought hope to the defending champions.

However, after Pollard’s dismissal (173/6), TKR lost their remaining four wickets for just 11 runs.

This result propelled the Kings into their second consecutive final, having lost out to TKR at last year’s edition. The Andre Fletcher-led squad will face the winner of this afternoon’s second semi-final between Guyana Amazon Warriors and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.

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