St Kitts and Nevis Patriots: All or nothing?

2018 - 3rd (playoffs)

2019 - 4th (playoffs)

2020 - 6th (league stage)

2021 - 1st (winners)

2022 - 5th (league stage) 

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots doing away with Dwayne Bravo would have made bigger news, but Jamaica Tallawahs decided to outdo them at this game. Having been with the franchise since its inception, Evin Lewis will be leading the Patriots for the first time. They also ended their contract with their head coach Simon Helmot. His spot has been filled by Malolan Rangarajan, who was already associated with the franchise as their assistant coach. 

Last season saw them eke out just three wins in 10 matches and become the second team to crash out of the tournament after Trinbago Knight Riders.

Squad Changes

They have gone for a complete overhaul in their overseas department, with none of their ‘22 season’s international recruits making it to their squad this season. They’ve brought in some interesting options. Four of their five internationals are featuring for the first time in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) - Corbin Bosch being the only overseas player with prior CPL experience.

At the top, they’ve gone for Ambati Rayudu. The India international comes in as a last-minute replacement for Tristan Stubbs, who made himself unavailable. They also have the exciting Dewald Brevis, who earlier this week earnt his maiden international call-up. 

Apart from that, George Linde has been awarded for his excellent SA20 with a maiden CPL contract. The slow left arm was a revelation with the bat earlier this year and will bolster their middle-order. We’ll also catch first glimpses of Izharulhaq Naveed, the Afghan wrist-spinner, at the CPL. Having previously worked with Malolan Rangarajan, RCB's head of scouting, at the IPL, a lot is expected of the teenager.

Strengths

> They have a formidable batting lineup with a good mix of domestic and international batters. Andre Fletcher, Brevis, Joshua Da Silva, Lewis, and Rayudu also give them a nice mix of experience and youth. Add the fact that they will have all-rounders like Bosch, Kofi James, and Linde to follow - and they have the batting depth to adapt to different match situations and strategies.

> Cottrell, Drakes, Thomas, and Yannic Cariah - they have one of the better domestic bowling attacks, allowing them to use their overseas slots flexibly for batters or all-rounders. Also, all of them have been a part of the Windies T20I setup in the recent past, keeping them in the reckoning for next year's T20 World Cup at home. It augurs well for the Patriots that their bowlers have much more at stake than just helping their team win, as WI selectors will look closely at CPL performances while building their T20 World Cup squad.

Threats

> Dominic Drakes is returning from an injury, while Oshane Thomas finally showed some signs of a return to form. This means Sheldon Cottrell is the only experienced member in their pace attack. This could very well mean a punt on local talents, a strategy that can go down south very easily. Things are no different with their spinners. Carriah, their most experienced spinner, has played four CPL games. In fact, only two of their spinners have even played at the CPL. Given that most games will be played on relatively slow surfaces, this inexperience could potentially hurt their chances over the season. 

Players to watch out for

Sherfane Rutherford will be coming into the competition on the back of a player-of-the-series tournament in Canada. The southpaw will want to continue the form not just for his franchise’s sake. He has spoken several times about wanting to represent the men in maroon, and a strong CPL will go a long way in helping him stake a claim for a spot in the West Indies' top-order.

Oshane Thomas being traded to Patriots could do him a world of good. The presence of big-name pacers in Barbados Royals meant he didn’t get as much game time as he would have liked. It didn’t help that he wasn’t able to come up with noticeable performances in the occasional opportunities he got. As one of their experienced pros, this will be his best shot at lighting up the CPL.

Probable XI

The Patriots will go ahead with the same opening duo, but it’s the middle-order that will have a newer and more robust look. Kofi James, Rayudu, and Brevis will be some of the new faces in their batting lineup. James has previously been a part of the Patriots’ development squads and has quickly risen up the ranks. Linde, Naveed, and Thomas will join Cottrell and Drakes to form the crux of their bowling attack.

“He has tremendous potential, but if given an opportunity, he has the tools to come up and produce the goods required,” Malolan Rangarajan said ahead of the season.

Evin Lewis (C), Andre Fletcher (WK), Kofi James, Ambati Rayudu, Dewald Brevis, Sherfane Rutherford, Dominic Drakes, George Linde, Izharulhaq Naveed, Oshane Thomas, Sheldon Cottrell.

First Match

The season’s third game will see St Kitts and Nevis Patriots start their journey against the Trinbago Knight Riders, on August 19, 4:30 AM IST.