In what was a rain-affected match of 17 overs per side, an all-round performance from the Barbados Royals powered them to a 7-wicket win over St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in their season opener.
Earlier, David Miller won the toss and put the Patriots in to bat first. Openers Andre Fletcher and Joshua Da Silva added 57 runs for the first wicket before Da Silva was removed by Joshua Bishop. Fletcher then went on to score his half-century, but there was little support from the other end. It was a complete performance from the Royals bowling attack, with every bowler picking at least one wicket at regular intervals. While Jason Holder and Ramon Simmonds bagged two wickets each, Bishop, Corbin Bosch and Obed McCoy too joined the party, collecting a wicket in their bag.
Corbin Bosching it
But the night belonged to a certain South African all-rounder, who became the first player to take five catches in an innings in the CPL. Corbin's athleticism was on display as he plucked everything out of thin air to keep his team's momentum going. His five catches included the crucial wicket of Fletcher in the 16th over, who was looking dangerous en route to his knock of 81. The same over also saw debutant Simmonds striking in consecutive deliveries to push the Patriots further on the back foot. From there on, they never really recovered and the Royals restricted them to 149/8 in 17 overs.
Rahkeem-Mayers on fire
Chasing a target of 150, Rahkeem Cornwall and Kyle Mayers got the Royals off to a solid start with their explosive partnership. By the end of the Powerplay, the pair had already added 64 quick runs on the board, with Rahkeem going hammer and tongs against the Patriots bowlers. His 25-ball 39 set the foundation for Kyle, who then came into his own with a scintillating 73 that included six fours and four sixes. Both openers did the bulk of the run-scoring, and it was followed by the middle order completing the chase without breaking a sweat, with 11 balls to spare.
Listen to a happy skipper Miller after his team's dominating performance: