Royals Women win CPL title for second year in a row

Defending champions Barbados Royals Ladies overcame late-match nerves to win this year’s Masi Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) in Tarouba tonight, struggling towards the end of the match but ultimately defeating Trinidad Knight Riders (TKR) by four wickets.

In the match at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, the Knight Riders were defeated at 93-8 in 20 overs but Player of the Match Alia Alleyne bowled strongly, taking 4 wickets for 21 runs. The Royals struggled in reply but finished at 94-6 thanks to the composure of opening batsman Chamari Athapaththu who scored 39 runs.

It was not a final to remember for Barbados all-rounder Diandra Dodin, who was announced as part of the West Indies women’s 15-man squad for the World Cup in the United Arab Emirates in October. The 33-year-old was bowled for just six in her second innings.

Things went from bad to worse for the Knights when Jemimah Rodrigues, another high-profile batsman for the Knights, hit the ball back to Chinelle Henry to make it 10-2. Shikha Pandey (28) and Jannillea Glasgow (24) combined for 43 runs but once they were caught out by Alleyne’s sharp knock, the hosts were soon broken.

In the powerplay, the Royals’ chase was well underway, with Mathews, third among women’s cricket T2OI batsmen, and Atapattu, sixth, withstanding the early pressure. In a partnership of 48 runs from 37 balls, Atapattu bore the bulk of the responsibility, scoring 31 of those runs, while Mathews fell to a relatively slow batting (13 runs). However, the Royals were in trouble in the middle when Mathews was beaten by a brilliant catch from Dodin at backward point.

The match saw cameos from Qiana Joseph (14) and Laura Harris (15), but poor shot selection and courage from 16-year-old spinner Samara Ramnath meant the chase was tight until Athapaththu scored the final point, allowing her to add this WCPL title to her Asia Cup triumph with Sri Lanka in July.

Summary score:

The Trinidad Knights women won in 20 innings, with a score of 93-8 (Shikha Pandey 28, Jannillea Glasgow 24; Aaliyah Alleyne 4-21). Barbados Royal Ladies won in 20 innings with a score of 94-6 (Chamari Athapaththu 39*, Laura Harris 15; Samara Ramnath 2-18). The Barbados Royals Ladies won by four goals.