The CPL 2022 final match will not include players like Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Nicholas Pooran, or Dwayne Bravo. The first two teams eliminated this year were the star-studded Trinbago Knight Riders and St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, the CPL 2021 champions and the first-ever 6ixty winners. The Barbados Royals of Kyle Mayers and the Jamaica Tallawahs of Rovman Powell are the only two teams still in contention for the trophy.
Barbados Royals dominated the CPL 2022
Despite finishing last in the standings the season before, the Royals have dominated their way to the championship match, losing only two of their first 11 matches. One of the defeats was against the Guyana Amazon Warriors in an unimportant game, while the other was to the Tallawahs in a rain-shortened match after Powell struck a crucial six to give them the advantage under the DLS rule.
Even more impressive is the fact that Royals have dominated the competition despite the absence of Quinton de Kock and regular skipper David Miller for the decisive leg in Guyana.
Barbados has a chance to go one better and maybe lay the groundwork for a new CPL dynasty after the Royals’ franchise in the IPL (Rajasthan) failed to finish the tournament with a win earlier this year.
Jamaica Tallawahs also getting in form
The Tallawahs had a more difficult road to the final game, but it’s important to note that the past two times they made it this far, they went on to win the entire thing. Powell’s team, along with Royals, had led the early pace in 2022 with three victories in their first four games, but they slowed down in the Trinidad and Guyana legs of the competition. Tallawahs have picked up steam once again after defeating Shimron Hetmyer’s Amazon Warriors and Faf du Plessis’ St. Lucia Kings.
They have developed the ability to function without Russell by having Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nabi, and Powell himself handle their batting and bowling duties. The late arrival of Nabi has helped Tallawahs balance their XI after they initially seemed top-heavy in the first part of the competition. Despite the fact that local opener Kennar Lewis has yet to perform to his potential, Brandon King and Shamarh Brooks have displayed aggressive tenacity at the top.
Pitch and conditions
Providence normally lends itself to spin and is slow, but this year it has also benefited strokeplay. There were four of the top five CPL 2022 totals, including the first 200.
