People always say, never ruin a good thing by talking too much about it. And sometimes, rightly so too. However, this is not the case as far as CPL 21 is concerned. Before the start of the season, the much awaited Caribbean Premier League was in the news everywhere because of the sheer excitement and hype it created amongst the fans. There was a lot of buzz in the media, on social media handles and even in the cricketing world.
However, after the tournament kicked off from the 26th of August, it was time for fewer words and more action. And boy, they did not disappoint. Only a week into the tournament and we have seen a 14 ball 50, a superb fifer already, some amazing sky huge sixes and some fielders pocketing sky rocketing shots. Some crazy last over finishes and some funny, lovable and iconic moments. Welcome to the Caribbean Premiere League – The Biggest Party in Sport.
Unlike the previous year, this time the fans have been allowed to come and watch the action unwinding. This in itself has been the greatest source of joy for both the viewers and the players too. Like they had already mentioned a million times, the players have become sick and tired of playing in these bio bubbles and that too without the fans. Now with the fans watching them live, even they have something good to look forward to in every match. It can be seen in their spirits and their actions every time they take a wicket or even when they take a good catch – there’s some dance, there’s some sort of celebration with the fans. Love & Loyalty is indeed a two street between the fans and the players. There’s laughter, there’s joy, there’s merry making, there’s colour but make no mistake, the cricket played here is as intense as it can get. Everywhere in the world where cricket is played, you have a commentary box for the commentators. But we don’t do that here, do we? If you don’t believe us, take a look for yourselves. Lime Lounge Antics – CPL21 Here, commentators have a lime lounge, where they sit, chill and enjoy while commentating about the game. This is the Caribbean Premier League – where cricket’s played a little louder
There’s music, there’s colour and there’s flair but most importantly, the ball is flying around everywhere. Now talking about the cricketing aspect, the tournament has started as well as it could have. In our previous article where we talked in depth about the surfaces, team combinations and what to expect in CPL 21. Like we mentioned, as all the matches will be played in the same stadium, the games should be too tightly contested where anyone can beat anyone on any given day. This is because all the teams & players will get quite accustomed to how the surface is playing. And this is what exactly happened. All the teams have had more or less similar fortunes in the first week with the exception of Saint Kitts & Nevis Patriots who have won all the three games they have played. They are at the top of the CPL Points Table with 6 points and the 5 other teams are with 2 points each. Have a look :
Some Notable Performances in the first week that had us all in awe
- Andre Russell’s 14 ball 50 which showed why he is the biggest & fiercest fish in the sea. He just took the game completely away with his innings. And a player like Dre Russ finding form like this in the early stages of the tournament has us smacking our lips in anticipation of what more he might just deliver.
- Isuru Udana’s Fifer – First time in the CPL, new team, dangerous batsmen, balls flying all over the stands? It wasn’t a big deal, showed Isuru Udana. And that too in some style. He just announced his arrival into the scene with an outstanding 5/21 to dismantle his opponents proving why he is a world class talent and justifying why they signed him.
- Tim Seifert’s 16 ball 40 – On a surface where World Class batsmen like Colin Munro were finding it difficult to find the middle of the bat. Seifert was playing on an entirely different surface. Trinbago were done and dusted in the chase on a sluggish surface when he stepped in. He scored a quickfire 40 runs from 16 balls to almost take his team over the line but fell short eventually by 5 runs. Just to put things into perspective, Munro who is such a dangerous player was able to score only 40 runs from the 46 balls he faced. So, expect some wonderful innings from Seifert this season.
Highest Run Scorer in the tournament so far –
126 Runs
Sherfane Rutherford (Guyana Amazon Warriors)
Highest Wicket Taker –
6 Wickets
Mohammad Amir (Barbados Royals)
All in all, it has been a great start to the season. CPL 21 has lived up to its hype and certainly kept us wanting more. With the first week over, who do you think are the favourites to lift the cup? Who do you think will score the most runs? Who do you think will be the match winner for their teams? If you have some answers and fancy taking a guess, we have something fun for you too to play. And while you are at it, you might win some very cool and exciting prizes ahead. Participate and Win with Fun88.
