The Guyana Amazon Warriors returned to winning ways with a hard-fought four-wicket victory over the St Lucia Kings at the Providence Stadium in the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League on Wednesday night.
The defeat ended the Kings’ preliminary-round campaign with eight points from four wins, leaving them in fourth place. They must now wait on results elsewhere to determine whether they can hold on to a playoff spot.
Opting to bat first, perhaps mindful of how the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons had attacked the Warriors the previous night, the Kings adopted a cautious approach during the Power Play.
Kamil Pooran provided the early impetus, but Dwaine Pretorius made the breakthrough for the Warriors by trapping Tim Seifert lbw for four.
The Kings still reached 51 for one at the end of the Power Play and appeared to have a clear plan.
However, getting through the opening phase against the Warriors’ spin attack has proved one of the toughest challenges of CPL 2026.
With Mohammad Nabi out of the attack, new player Mehidy Hasan Miraz joined Imran Tahir, and the transition was seamless.
Miraz, making his CPL debut for the Warriors, picked up where Nabi had left off, finishing with 3-13, while Tahir produced a brilliant spell of 5-17.
Miraz dismissed John Campbell for 12 in his first CPL over for the Warriors before Tahir went on a tear, claiming the prized wickets of Kamil Pooran for a topscore of 43, and Roston Chase for just one.
Overs from nine to 12 produced a wicket for either Miraz or Tahir as the Kings’ innings unravelled to bits at 73 for eight.
Obus Pienaar offered late resistance with 35 before falling to Romario Shepherd as the final wicket. The Kings were bowled out for just 119.
In reply, the Warriors were determined to take their time and avoid the demons of the pitch. Having been undone by a brilliant bowling display from the Falcons the previous night, they adopted a cautious approach and reached just 23 for one at the end of the Power Play.
The plan appeared to be working as the Warriors patiently paced their chase after the strategic timeout. But the Kings found a way back when Maheesh Theekshana and Charith Asalanka combined to dismiss Glenn Phillips (37) and Shai Hope (21) in consecutive overs.
Roston Chase then struck again, removing Mehidy Hasan for one and Shimron Hetmyer for 14, leaving the Warriors five wickets down and needing 22 runs from the final three overs.
A nervous tension swept through Providence Stadium as the Kings sensed a remarkable fightback. But Quentin Sampson had other ideas.
The young batter exploded into action, launching Chase for two sixes and a four from three consecutive deliveries to release the pressure and swing the momentum back in the Warriors’ favour.
His astonishing unbeaten 37 from just 11 balls completed the Warriors’ comeback and secured a crucial four-wicket victory at 122 for six in 18.3 overs.
The result sends the Warriors back to the top of the CPL standings with two matches still in hand, while the Kings must now watch the remaining results closely and hope they fall their way.