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CPL 2020 Match 2: BT vs SKN Preview Dream11 Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | BT vs SKN Dream11 Prediction Today | Barbados Tridents vs St Kitts and Nevis Patriots Key Players | Barouda Pitch Report

Also read: CPL 2020 Match 11, August 25 2020: BT vs SKN Preview, Stats and Dream11 Prediction

The T20 extravaganza is all set to take off in the Trinidad and Tobago islands as the Caribbean Premier League begins from the 18th of August. Barbados Tridents take on St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the second game of the tournament, which will follow the opener between Guyana Amazon Warriors and Trinbago Knight Riders.

Barbados Tridents are the defending champions in this edition of the tournament, having won the CPL 2019 by defeating Guyana Amazon Warriors in the final.

The Tridents have a settled core of the side with Jason Holder leading the team which comprises the world’s best spinner Rashid Khan and last year’s leading wicket taker Hayden Walsh Jr. The team also has left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner and their spin bowling department is arguably the best in the league. The batting has bedrock in the top order, with Shai Hope, Johnson Charles and Justin Graves. It will be an interesting battle between the pace bowling bowling attack of the Patriots and the top order of the Tridents.

The Tridents signed Marcus Stoinis and Alex Hales but both were ruled out of the season, and now the onus will be on Corey Anderson to ameliorate the side’s run rate in the middle overs.

On the other hand, the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots are one of the less fancied teams in this edition of the CPL, in spite of reaching the playoffs in the last two seasons. The team had retained its core of six players before the draft and signed some exciting prospects who will light up the tournament as they boast of the likes of Rayad Emrit, Chris Lynn, Ben Dunk, Evin Lewis, Sohail Tanvir, Sheldon Cottrell and Alzarri Joseph in their ranks.

However, the franchise will dearly miss the services of star all-rounder Fabien Allen, who missed the chartered flight coming into Trinidad and Tobago and hence missed the rest of the tournament.

SKNP can really bank on their top order batting trio of Dunk, Lynn and Lewis and their pace bowling options, Lewis, Tanvir, Cottrell, Joseph and the captain Emrit himself and they are arguably the best team in the league in both these departments.

However, they may find it difficult to counter the Trident’s spin attack and it will also be interesting to see the battle between the Barbados’ bowling and Patriot’s batting in the death overs as it is the weakness of both the sides.

Also read: CPL 2020 Match 11, August 25 2020: BT vs SKN Preview, Stats and Dream11 Prediction

Squads

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots: Chris Lynn, Ben Dunk, Evin Lewis, Nick Kelly, Sohail Tanvir, Ish Sodhi, Sheldon Cottrell, Denesh Ramdin, Rayad Emrit, Imran Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Joshua De Silva, Dominic Drakes, Colin Archibald, Jon Russ Jaggesar, Jahmar Hamilton.

Barbados Tridents: Rashid Khan, Jason Holder, Corey Anderson, Shamarh Brooks, Mitchell Santner, Johnson Charles, Shai Hope, Hayden Walsh Jr, Ashley Nurse, Jonathan Carter, Raymon Reifer, Kyle Mayers, Joshua Bishop, Nyeem Young, Justin Greaves, Keon Harding, Shayan Jahangir.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

• Rashid Khan will be a part of the CPL for the first time since 2017 and will play a crucial role in the title defence of the Tridents. In the 2017 season, the Afghan spinner picked 14 wickets in 12 matches for the Guyana Amazon Warriors, including a hattrick against Jamaica Tallawahs, also the first hattrick in the history of the tournament.
• Chris Lynn has played 3 seasons of the CPL for 3 different teams so far and has had contrasting returns. While he was poor in the 2015 and 2018 editions with just 288 runs in 18 innings across a couple of seasons, he was impressive in the 2016, with 454 runs while plying his trade for the Guyana Amazon Warriors and ended up as the leading run scorer. Alongside Lewis and Dunk, Lynn is a key component for SKNP.
• Jason Holder, the captain of the Barbados Tridents, will be leading the pace bowling attack but his batting contribution will also be one to watch out for given that middle order batting is one of the shortcomings of his side this season.
• Hayden Walsh Jr., The leg spinner was the leading wicket taker in the tournament last season and was a vital cog in the title win of the Tridents. It promises to be exciting as he teams up with Rashid Khan this season.
• Mitchell Santner completes the spin trio of the Tridents and he is one of the spinners to watch out for. Considering the spin-friendly tracks in T&T, he will be an asset for the defending champions.
• Joshua De Silva will be a sure starter for SKNP as Fabien Allen is ruled out of the 6 team event. The 22 year old can be a bright prospect for the batting, which his side really needs.

Stats and Facts:

• Hayden Walsh Jr. picked 22 wickets in 9 innings at an average of 12.68 and economy rate of 8.28 last season.
• Johnson Charles was the top run getter for the champions last season with over 400 runs.
• Rayad Emrit is the 3rd highest wicket taker in CPL history with 85 wickets while Cottrell has picked 69 wickets.
• The Brian Lara Stadium played host to Qualifier 2 and the Final in CPL 2019. The first innings scores were 160 and 171 respectively, with the team batting first winning both times.

Probable XIs

Barbados Tridents: With a batting line-up with no real accelerators, Holder and Khan may well bat a place above than they usually do, to take the pressure off Anderson.

Playing XI: 1. Johnson Charles, 2. Shai Hope (wk), 3. Justin Greaves, 4. Jonathan Carter, 5. Corey Anderson*, 6. Jason Holder (c), 7. Mitchell Santner*, 8. Rashid Khan*, 9. Ashley Nurse, 10. Raymon Reifer, 11. Hayden Walsh Jr

SKNP: If Allen would have boarded the flight, you have expected him to be the most important part of this XI, but with him not being there it will be Silva, Hamilton and Ramdin in the middle order order

Playing XI: 1. Evin Lewis, 2. Chris Lynn, 3. Joshua da Silva (E), 4. Ben Dunk, 5. Jahmar Hamilton, 6. Denesh Ramdin, 7. Sohail Tanvir, 8. Rayad Emrit, 9. Ish Sodhi, 10. Alzarri Joseph, 11. Sheldon Cottrell

Tarouba Pitch Report and Conditions

The tracks are expected to be spin friendly for the majority of the tournament. It will be interesting to see how the pitch plays in the opening game of the tournament, which will be held on the same ground as this match.

Also read: CPL 2020 Match 11, August 25 2020: BT vs SKN Preview, Stats and Dream11 Prediction

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Match Prediction

Both the teams have their own share of weakness while having their strengths as well. But with strong fast bowling core along with a strong top three, SKNP look the better side as the Tridents can be over-reliant on their spinners. However, the Tridents certainly can’t be counted out especially in conditions that can suit them.

Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.

Also read: CPL 2020 Match 11, August 25 2020: BT vs SKN Preview, Stats and Dream11 Prediction