CPL 2021: Barbados Royals vs St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots- Barbados Royals Predicted Playing XI

Barbados Royals will square up against St. Kitts and Patriots in the second match of the CPL 2021 on Friday. Barbados Royals didn’t perform as they would have liked in the last edition. They could only manage to win 3 games out of 10 and finished at the second from bottom on the points table.

Ahead of a new season, some new faces have been added in the squad. They have acquired the services of Glenn Phillips, Hayden Walsh, and Oshane Thomas to further strengthen their squad.

The Royals have 2 titles to their name in CPL history. They would be desperate to lift their third CPL title. Ahead of their first game against St. Kitts and Patriots, here’s a look at our predicted playing XI of Barbados Royals:

1. Johnson Charles

Johnson Charles scored 214 runs in 10 matches while opening the batting for Royals last year. He scored only one half-century and also had one forty-plus score to his name. Charles had three ducks to his name last year. Barbados would be wanting for him to deliver better performances and give them a great start.

2. Shai Hope

Shai Hope would accompany Charles at the top of the order. His numbers in CPL has been disappointing, to say the least. He played at a strike rate of below 100 in the last edition. Shai Hope isn’t regarded as a dependable T20 batsman. It is unlikely if he could exhibit a different style of play this year.

3. Glenn Phillips

Glenn Philips has been making waves in international cricket for the last few years now. He has been piling on runs consistently in the different franchise T20 tournaments.

He was the second-highest run-getter last season and will be the man to watch out for this season as well.

4. Kyle Mayers

Kyle Mayers proved to be the star performer for Barbados Tridents in the last edition. He was the top scorer for the team, scoring 222 runs in 9 matches at an average of 24.67.

5. Jason Holder

Jason Holder should bat at number five in the batting order. He will, once again, have the responsibility to give the late flourish. He played two solid knocks of 34 (19) and 69 (42) in the last editions but besides, the majority were single-digit scores. With the ball, he picked 10 wickets in 10 games at an average of 21.90

6. Azam Khan

Azam Khan is the latest addition to the Barbados Tridents’ squad. Khan showed his hard-hitting stroke play in the last edition of the Pakistan Super League. He can prove out to be a great bet for Barbados at lower down the order this year.

7. Thisara Perera

The addition of Thisara Perera will further add depth in both batting and bowling line-up. The Sri Lankan all-rounder has the ability to fetch boundaries at the fag end of the innings and also gives them 2-3 overs with the ball.

8. Hayden Walsh

In the absence of Mitchell Santner and Rashid Khan, Hayden Walsh will lead the spin bowling attack for Barbados Royals. He was brilliant for West Indies in the recent T20 series against Australia. Walsh was the highest wicket-taker in the series with 12 wickets in 5 matches.

9. Jake Lintoff

Jake Lintoff led the way with the ball for Southern Brave in The Hundred 2021 tournament. He took 11 wickets in 9 games and helped the team lift the title. His great form with the ball is likely to encourage more optimism in the team’s bowling unit.

10. Raymon Reiffer

Someone who started his career as an all-rounder, Raymon Reifer has turned into a genuine bowler. He picked 7 wickets in 9 games last season at an average of under 6.

11. Oshane Thomas:

Oshan Thomas rose to fame with his exceptional performances in Caribbean Premier League. Though, his stocks have gone down in recent times. Ahead of the CPL 2021 edition, he will lead the pace bowling unit alongside Jason Holder.