Written by The Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) ended up having a perfect season in 2020, winning all 10 of their regular-season games as well as two playoff games, including the final. It was just a sensational performance in a season held behind closed doors due to the effects of COVID-19, which was no doubt tough on them as they were unable to feed off the crowd’s energy or share their successes with them. It’s time to take a deep dive into the success of TKR and how they got here to begin with!
Before the Season
The Knight Riders were lucky to not have any replacements for players who were unable to take part in the 2020 edition of the CPL, which ensured that the team would have good chemistry within their 17-man roster. They also had the advantage of being one of the first teams to start practicing for the season a week before the tournament started (August 18th), along with the then-St. Lucia Zouks (now renamed the St. Lucia Kings). They had 11 of their players retained from last season, which meant that they only needed a few more “finishing touches” to complete the roster and complement the rest of their teammates.
The Players
The 11 players they chose to keep are as follows: Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Colin Munro, Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Khary Pierre, Amir Jangoo, Tion Webster, Akeal Hosein, and Ali Khan. They signed three players (Fawad Ahmed, Tim Seifert, and Jayden Seales) and drafted three more during the 2020 CPL Draft (Sikandar Raza, Pravin Tambe, and Anderson Philip). What is important to remember here is that there are a good amount of veterans in this squad who have played in the West Indian national team (at some point or another), and there are only a few guys here without any international cricket experience whatsoever (Hosein*, Philip*, Seales*, Jangoo, Webster, and Tambe). To add to that, they even have national team members from various countries over the world too (at some point or another): Munro and Seifert from New Zealand, Khan from the USA, Raza from Zimbabwe, and Ahmed from Australia. Both Dwayne and Darren Bravo also have been with the team since the CPL’s inaugural season in 2013, and they are joined by Pollard, Narine, and Simmons as players who have all been in the league since 2013 for this TKR side. There’s a lot of experience in this side which will bode well throughout the season, and they also have a good infusion of young guns to go with the vets to give this side the right balance. *Note: Hosein did make his international debut in January 2021, but not at the time the 2020 CPL season was going on. Same thing with Philip (March 2021) and Seales (June 2021).
The Season Itself
- The first game against the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) was a 17-over affair, as three overs had to be removed due to a rain delay. TKR did have a mostly clinical bowling performance, with Narine leading the way his 2/19 in four overs (4.75 bowling economy). While they did take the game into the last over, Narine’s 50(28) and Da. Bravo’s 30(27) were enough to carry TKR through, and they were complemented by a seven-ball, 17-run cameo by Munro. Final Score: GAW 144/5 in 17 overs and TKR 147/6 in 16.4 overs. Player of the Match (PotM): Sunil Narine.
- The second game was against the Jamaica Tallawahs (JT), and it was a particularly low-scoring game for both sides. A change was made to the playing XI, as Sikandar Raza gave way to an extra West Indian, Khary Pierre. The bowling was much better this time around, as five of the six bowlers did not give up eight runs an over. Narine got a near-repeat on his bowling figures from the last game, going 1/19(4) this time around. Two bowlers picked up two wickets each, and Ahmed managed to bowl a maiden over. The onus was on Narine yet again, who scored scoring 53 off 38 balls, and Munro had a more substantial contribution with his 46-ball 49. Final Score: JT 135/8 in 20 overs and TKR 136/3 in 18.1 overs. PotM: Sunil Narine.
- The third match saw some pyrotechnics go off, as TKR were able to register the highest score of the season up to this point, going past the St. Lucia Zouks’ 172 runs against the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots. It just seemed like the season finally came to life with this performance, and TKR finally got their batting going right with this unchanged squad. Of the five batters who played for TKR, only Narine had a tough time going (8 runs off 16 balls). The rest of the batters were at least able to go a-run-a-ball with their strike rates, and Munro (50 off 30), Da. Bravo (54 off 36 not out), and captain Kieron Pollard (41 off 17 not out) were particularly devastating to the Barbados Tridents* (BT) bowlers. I will say that the youngster Jayden Seales and the vet Dwayne Bravo both need to work on limiting the number of runs they give up while bowling, as they were leaking more than 10 runs an over in two of the three games played. It didn’t cost them so far, but it is something to keep in mind, along with opener Lendl Simmons’ form. Five bowlers chipped in with a wicket each, including Narine’s 1/17(4) and Ahmed’s 1/14(3). Final Score: TKR 185/3 in 20 overs and BT 166/6 in 20 overs. PotM: Colin Munro. *- They are now known as the Barbados Royals after being included in the Royals brand, who play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as the Rajasthan Royals.
- Another rain delay game came around for TKR in game four against the St. Lucia Zouks* (SLZ), this one resulting in two different amounts of overs required for the teams to bat. SLZ got to bat for their full 17.1 over quota, while TKR had 9 overs to bat due to DLS. Two changes were made to the side, as Sunil Narine and Javon Seales had to go so that Pravin Tambe and Tion Webster could play. Again, it was a mostly disciplined bowling display, and there was a very rare sort of bowling by Dw. Bravo, who got two wickets in three overs but only gave up seven runs! That’s a 2.33 bowl. econ., which is just not seen in this day and age due to how much of a batter’s game cricket has become! TKR chased the revised score with an over to spare, as contributions from Da. Bravo (23 off 13), Munro (17 off 8), and Seifert (15 off 16) were enough to win the game. Final Score: SLZ 111/6 in 17.1 overs and TKR 72/4 in 8 overs (the revised target set for them was 72 runs to be scored in 9 overs). PotM: Dwayne Bravo. *- As mentioned before, the Zouks are now known as the St. Lucia Kings, as they were taken over by the Kings brand who owns the Punjab Kings in the IPL.
- Game five was their second game against GAW, and it was a much lower scoring affair than it was in their first meeting. Pravin Tambe made way for Sikandar Raza in this game. It was a very tidy bowling unit that TKR had in this game, even though they lost Ali Khan after the first over. Pierre led the way with his 3/18 in four overs (4.50 bowl. econ.), and Ahmed also gave up only 18 runs in four overs without picking up a wicket. The batting was notably slow for such a low-scoring chase, but it is ok for batters to take their time just to ensure a win rather than lose wickets/outs in a stretch. Seifert’s 39(30) n.o. (not out) was more than enough to carry TKR home. The reason for Narine’s departure for games three and four was that he was feeling unwell otherwise he should be a regular in this squad. It’s a good thing that his departure hasn’t negatively impacted the side, which just goes to show how much depth the team carries. Final Score: GAW 112/7 in 20 overs and TKR 115/3 in 18.2 overs. PotM: Khary Pierre.
- TKR’s sixth game of the season was probably their most eventful so far, as they had to take the game to the penultimate ball of the last over just to remain undefeated! The rematch against BT could’ve been better for TKR, who rested Dwayne Bravo to play Akeal Hosein and lost Ali Khan due to a back spasm last game and brought back Jayden Seales. Pierre was very economical (5.66 economy rate), despite going wicket-less, and Raza (2/11 in one over) joined Seales (2/21 in three overs) and Hosein (2/30 in four overs) with two wickets each of their own in a pretty good bowling performance overall. The batting, on the other hand, was not their best whatsoever. Simmons’ steady presence at the top (32 off 29), Pollard’s rapid-fire scoring with only 7.2 overs left in the game (72 off 28), and Pierre’s antepenultimate ball six (10 off 5 n.o.) were the only reasons why TKR got the win in the end. Pollard showed the world that he is still a premier batter and dangerous as ever (a strike rate of 257.14 is not something to laugh at), so do not count him (and TKR) out! Final Score: BT 148/7 in 20 overs and TKR 149/8 in 19.5 overs. PotM: Kieron Pollard.
- TKR and JT both flipped the script from their first matchup in game seven for TKR, as it was another high-scoring contest. TKR came one run short of their season-high 185 against BT, with Munro’s 65 off 54 and Pollard’s 33 off 16 n.o. leading the way. Sunil Narine and Dwayne Bravo came back into the side, with Tion Webster and Sikandar Raza making way for them. It was good to see Narine back in action after he had missed the last four games, and he picked up where he left off with an 11-ball 29 and 1/23 in four overs to be TKR’s most economical bowler of the day (5.75 bowl. econ.). Ahmed’s two-wicket haul was the most wickets on the day for TKR as well. Final Score: TKR 184/4 in 20 overs and JT 165/6 in 20 overs. PotM: Colin Munro.
- Game number eight for TKR was just a complete performance overall that T20 teams need to succeed in these types of tournaments. Not only did they have yet another score over 150 (174, to be exact), they also had their most economical day bowling so far. They may have only picked up seven wickets but the most runs per over given up by any of their bowlers were 8.50, which means they asserted their dominance over a team they were just playing for the first time this season, the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots. The end result (a 59-run win) just proves the point, even if may the batting this day might’ve only been a two-man job. Yes, they did get to 174 but it was only because of Simmons’ 96 off 63 brilliance to go with Da. Bravo’s run-a-ball 36. Other than that, Dw. Bravo hit a six off of the only ball he faced. One thing they will have to monitor is Munro’s hand, as he was hit on the gloves and had to retire hurt from the game batting on 9 off 7. This game had a bunch of changes to the side and yet they had one of their best team performances of the season. What will it take for them to lose?! Sunil Narine and Kieron Pollard were rested, according to the stand-in captain Dwayne Bravo, while Fawad Ahmed and Jayden Seales were also out this game. In their places came Amir Jangoo, Sikandar Raza, Pravin Tambe, and Anderson Phillip. Hosein (1/15 in four overs) and Tambe (1/12 in four overs, including a maiden over) delivered some of the best magic I’ve seen in all of T20 cricket, with econ. rates of 3.75 and 3.00 respectively, while Raza stole the show with his 3/15 in only three overs for a 5.00 econ. rate. Another day, another win for TKR! Final Score: TKR 174/4 in 20 overs and SNKP 115/7 in 20 overs. PotM: Lendl Simmons.
- Game nine just saw TKR continue their dominant stretch with just one more game left in the regular season. SLZ may have gotten more runs this time around, but it still wasn’t enough to chase down TKR’s first-innings total. Colin Munro, Amir Jangoo, Pravin Tambe, and Anderson Phillip made way for Kieron Pollard, Tion Webster, Fawad Ahmed, and Jayden Seales, with Sunil Narine missing out due to being treated for kidney stones this time. Seifert’s 33 off 30, Da. Bravo’s 50 off 42, and Pollard’s 42 off 21 n.o. led the way with the bat while Dw. Bravo’s economical 2/24 in four overs paired with Pollard’s 3/35 in four overs. Hosein (0/22 in four overs) and Raza (0/13 in three overs) also helped out in quelling the runs, but Ahmed (13.00 bowl. econ.), Seales (10.50 bowl. econ.), and Pierre (10.00 bowl. econ.) provided examples of what TKR needs to fix come playoff time. At the very least, Seales made up for the bad econ. rate by adding two wickets of his own. Final Score: TKR 175/5 in 20 overs and SLZ 152/7 in 20 overs. PotM: Kieron Pollard.
- Game 10 marks the last regular-season game for TKR and, boy, was it an embarrassing display for SKNP… It’s almost like they did not come to play this game or this entire season, as they finished in last place with only three points, the worst net run rate (-1.498), and a record of 1-8 and one no result. On the other hand, TKR one-upped their bowling performance against the Patriots in their first matchup! This time, the most runs given up by a bowler was only 6.25, and all six bowlers picked up a wicket each. TKR decided to try out their bench depth in this game, as they rested/left out Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Bravo, Khary Pierre, and Jayden Seales to play Amir Jangoo, Pravin Tambe, and Anderson Phillip. Additionally, Ali Khan made his way back on the field after missing four and a half games, which leaves Colin Munro the only player’s health to keep track of. Ahmed was the star of the bowlers with his four-wicket haul and 5.25 bowl. econ., although he was not be outdone by Raza’s 1/6 in three overs (2.00 bowl. econ.), Tambe’s 1/9 in four overs (2.25 bowl. econ.), and Phillip’s 1/3 in 1.2 overs (2.25 bowl. econ.). TKR had their third maiden over this season, this time from the hands of Khan (1/10 in two overs). Webster’s 41 off 33 n.o. was good enough to end the game early (in 11.3 overs), thus securing TKR’s perfect 10-0 regular season. Final Score: SKNP 77 all out in 18.2 overs and TKR 78/1 in 11.3 overs. PotM: Fawad Ahmed.
- Now we come to the first playoff game in TKR’s season, their 11th game overall, in the semi-final round against JT. Somehow, the score in the playoffs turned out to be the lowest of their three matchups throughout the season. Amir Jangoo, Sikandar Raza, Pravin Tambe, and Anderson Phillip made way for Dwayne Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Khary Pierre, and Sunil Narine. Hosein’s 3/14 in three overs (3.50 econ. rate) and Pierre’s 2/29 in four overs led the wickets column while Narine (3.25 econ. rate) and Dw. Bravo (4.00 econ. rate) aided in stymying the run flow. Hosein and Narine also had the accomplishment of getting a maiden over each, which is usually a death knell for batting teams in T20s! Simmons (54 off 44 n.o.) and Webster (44 off 43 n.o.) closed the curtains on JT for the final time this season, leading TKR to yet another finals appearance. Final Score: JT 107/7 in 20 overs and TKR 111/1 in 15 overs. PotM: Akeal Hosein.
- Game #12. The final of the 2020 Caribbean Premier League. TKR’s last game of the season. Nothing else matters now and the slate is basically wiped clean. It’s time to just put the fruit of all the efforts of the season into this one last game to end up with the trophy in order to continue their dynasty and legacy. Sunil Narine was the only change to the side, with Sikandar Raza chosen as his replacement. It is a shame that Colin Munro could not make it back to the side, as his middle-order presence would’ve just provided more relief for captain Kieron Pollard. Speaking of Pollard, he certainly turned back the clock to deliver a superb bowling performance with his 4/30 in four overs. Additionally, Ahmed and Khan helped out with two wickets of their own, while Hosein’s 6.50 bowl. econ. was the most economical rate for the side. On the batting side of things, Simmons got 84 off 49 n.o. and Da. Bravo hit 58 off 47 n.o. to secure the victory for the Knight Riders. Final Score: SLZ 154 all out in 19.1 overs and TKR 157/2 in 18.1 overs. PotM: Lendl Simmons. Player of the Series: Kieron Pollard (207 total runs, eight total wickets).
What the Coach Had to Say
Six games into the season, head coach Brendon McCullum was talking about the success of the team. He referred to how experienced their side was due to the amount of T20 games most of them had logged in over so many years, as well as complimenting their vast depth to help out the main XI. Even with that lucky win when all seemed lost against the Tridents, McCullum had the utmost confidence in his players, even knowing that Pollard has that possibility to end games all by himself. He showed the team clippings from Michael Jordan’s Last Dance to show them how to build a T20 dynasty, and rightfully so: they did win their fourth title in six years.
Closing Thoughts
I needed to talk about the matches individually and specifically to show how the players were able to come about and help string together enough victories someway somehow and how they ended up with yet another title for the now four-time champions. As players went down due to injury/rest/underperformance, they were able to support each other as a team and pick up the slack when needed. It helped that they had prior success with them and title-winning players from those years (2015, 2017, and 2018) still providing the experience to help TKR have double the number of titles (four) compared to their closest competitors, JT and BT (both with two titles). It also helped that they had five out of 15 players (the Bravos, Narine, Pollard, and Simmons) from the 2012 Twenty20 (T20) World Cup-winning West Indies national side, and Dw. Bravo and Simmons were also on the 2016 winning side as well. Simply put, they had the match-winners set in place to help guide this team through at all times. This article goes even further into the success of this TKR team.
The experienced campaigners, alongside their coach (who was a former player for the TKR side too), were able to just set a good culture all around, and the 17 players were just able to flourish whenever they were called upon to perform. They had a good leadership group throughout the season, as Pollard is known for his captaincy skills elsewhere in the CPL (eventually even getting the captaincy job for the West Indian national team, as well as acting as a fill-in captain in the IPL for the Mumbai Indians) and Dw. Bravo used to be the captain for this TKR side prior to Pollard’s arrival. This is the type of group that just jelled together nicely and didn’t really need to go through major roster turnover to have a title-winning 17-man roster. Of course, having a team like this is easier said than done, as TKR were lucky to have so many great T20 players who are known for their skills worldwide in other leagues as well. The organizational culture was one that most teams preach regardless of who they are and where they play but it needs to be said no matter how simple it is: “Once you are asked to get the job done, you do it the best you can. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t work, it’s okay. You will come back and be asked to do a better job. If you sulk, it will have a ripple effect on your [performance]”, as quoted by the Zimbabwean Sikandar Raza.
The Knight Riders CEO, Venky Mysore, seemingly has a good eye for talent and has already delivered two IPL titles (for the Kolkata Knight Riders) to go along with these four CPL titles too. The Knight Riders brand is in a growing phase right now looking to expand over the globe, as they were supposed to bring in a third franchise to their brand (the Cape Town Knight Riders in the T20 Global League that never came to fruition). They may yet get a South African team in the Mzansi Super League (MSL), but they did add to their franchise by getting a team in America: the Los Angeles Knight Riders in Major League Cricket, which is set to start in 2023. Overall, all these factors helped the Knight Riders brand overall become a dominant force across two countries, and TKR will look to continue its recent success going for years.
My Inspiration
Special thanks to Jeremy Piasecki, as I had a conversation with him where a topic like this came up as an option for me to write about. It happened during the time when he was trying to recruit me into Culture in Sports, and I appreciated that he helped me think of a topic right off the bat that I would be able to write about sometime in the future.