CPL Preview | Patriots seek clinical end to home leg with fresh defending champions Kings up next

08/19/2025

Jason Holder's St Kitts and Nevis Patriots have lost two out of their three games to begin CPL 2025

Saint Lucia Kings are set to finally begin their CPL 2025 campaign against the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots at Basseterre on Wednesday after their opener was washed out. The Patriots have lost two out of their three games, with the Kings clash set to be their penultimate home game of the season.

The times they are a-changin' in the Caribbean Premier League, with four out of six franchises boasting new skippers including the two set to face off at Warner Park in Basseterre on Tuesday morning IST. Faf du Plessis, having led the title charge for Saint Lucia Kings last year and handing the franchise their first trophy, has given way to Namibian all-rounder David Wiese who turned 40 earlier in the year. The Patriots, meanwhile, are being led by Jason Holder who made a switch from Barbados Royals after a 13-year association which included a significant stint as captain.

The Kings have pulled off a major coup by signing in-form destructive middle-order hitter Tim David, fresh off a player of the series performance for Australia and South Africa. However, with Faf no longer part of the setup and Matthew Forde out injured, the team will have a few holes to plug. As far as the local talent goes, in Test skipper Roston Chase and spearhead Alzarri Joseph, the Kings have two of the Caribbean's brightest talents in their rank which should hold them in good stead to defend the crown.

As for the Patriots, the batters have struggled to get going in the first three games with Andre Fletcher's sole half-century being the only 50-plus individual score for the team in the tournament. An injury to explosive opener Evin Lewis does not help matters either, albeit in Mikyle Louis they have another capped player to bank on. In Waqar Salamkheil, the side has a mystery spinning gem that has already scalped seven wickets in three games, including a match-winning 4/22 against the Falcons. Naseem Shah is yet to hit full stride as is Fazalhaq Farooqi but once the duo gets in the groove, they have the ability to win matches single handedly, thus setting up an enticing contest with the Kings.

Form Guide

The Patriots began their season with a six-wicket thumping of Antigua and Barbuda Falcons where they chased down a measly target in just 15 overs, but have since lost to Guyana Amazon Warriors after being restricted to 153 before failing to chase down Trinbago Knight Riders' 231. Saint Lucia Kings, meanwhile, had their scheduled opener against the Falcons rained out and are yet to embark on their title defence.

STKNP: L L W

SLK: NR

STKNP vs SLK Head-to-Head in T20s

Since the turn of the decade, Saint Lucia Kings have defeated St Kitts and Nevis Patriots eight times while losing just twice, including four victories in their last five completed games. In the previous edition of the CPL, the Kings had comfortably thumped the Patriots by five wickets in both their meetings by chasing down totals of 201 and 173 respectively.

Patriots 7-11 Kings

Pitch and Weather

The two night games at Warner Park in CPL 2025 so far produced first innings scores of 121 and 153/8. However, the only night game saw Trinbago Knight Riders smash their way to 231/5 before the Patriots fell just 12 short, surpassing 200 comfortably in the process. The surface did tend to improve significantly between the first two games too as a slaw and damp surface evolved into a harder deck more suitable for stroke making but with weather around, the pitch in St Kitts remains difficult to predict.

Accuweather suggests no rain is forecast for the duration of the game, albeit humidity will remain over 80% throughout. The temperature is expected to hover around the 29 degrees celsius mark despite the partial cloud covering.

Team News

Evin Lewis missed the previous game for the Patriots with injury and is epeected to sit out the upcoming game as well, allowing Mikyle Louis to retain his place in the XI.

Saint Lucia Kings will field their first XI of the season on Tuesday led by David Wiese, with Tim David as their overseas marquee player. In Alzarri Joseph and Roston Chase, they have two experienced West Indian internationals as well as left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, one of the more experienced slow bowlers in the tournament.

STKNP Probable XI: Andre Fletcher (wk), Kyle Mayers, Rilee Rossouw, Mikyle Louis, Alick Athanaze, Jason Holder (c), Jyd Goolie, Dominic Drakes, Naseem Shah, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Waqar Salamkheil

SLK Probable XI: Tim Seifert (wk), Johnson Charles, Ackeem Auguste, Shadrack Descarte, Roston Chase, Tim David, David Wiese (c), Keon Gaston, Alzarri Joseph, Tabraiz Shamsi