Patriots vs Royals, 27th Match at Bridgetown, CPL, Sep 11 2025 - Ball by Ball Commentary

With the post-match presentation now complete, Jason Holder is going around the boundary fence, clicking selfies and greeting the fans. And with that, our coverage from here concludes. Thank you all for joining and staying with us throughout the match. This is Rashad Mahbub, signing off on behalf of Harshith Gowda. Cheers!

Kasinathan: "Is Patriots assured of play off spot after this win." The Patriots' play-off hopes now hinge on this: the Warriors must lose both of their remaining games and finish with a lower Net Run Rate.

Rovman Powell: "The game sums up the emotions. It's disappointing, and it's been a disappointing season. To be honest, it's difficult to find the right words. But as a bowling group, we were decent. At the halfway stage, we as a team were pleased. It's just a case of one of our top four batters not batting until the end. We didn't play as well as we wanted to; we just let the game keep meandering. But Jason Holder and his boys fought to the end. It's disappointing; I should have batted a little bit deeper. [Salamkheil] He was bowling the last ball of his spell and was the most threatening bowler on the wicket. I have to take some of the blame, and I do share that. It's merely a case of us representing the Royals franchise with a lot more pride and representing ourselves and the people of Barbados. They came out in their numbers tonight. The message to the boys is to keep fighting hard. We are a young squad, but that is no excuse. We have played horribly this season."

Player of the Match, Jason Holder: "[Last over] For me, it was just about keeping my composure. A six on the first ball puts you under a lot of pressure, but I was just trying to execute. Execution was the name of the game. I was pleased because in the last game, I wasn't happy with my last over. But I was happy to be the one to step up in this last over and win it for the team. I step across the line just to win cricket games. I told the boys that we needed to find a purpose for these last two games. The boys really pulled a rabbit out of the hat in the game in Guyana on a tough surface. We were always backing ourselves to win this game, but we still had to fight really hard. We were a little short in terms of our runs, but the effort the boys put in over these last couple of weeks has been outstanding. I'm just over the moon to get the team across the line. For me, it's just trying to perform for the team. This is a ground I love; it's my favorite ground in the world. It's always nice coming back here to play, unfortunately, not for the Royals this year, but I'm really enjoying my time here playing for the Patriots. [A Message to the Fans] I'm just thankful for the fans for supporting us. It's been some tough times, and we've had an up-and-down campaign, but the loyal supporters have stuck by us through thick and thin. I just want to say a massive thank you to them. [On the Win] It's a little bittersweet. It's tough that we are in this position, and now we have to wait until the last game of Guyana. But it's been an up-and-down campaign, and credit must be given to the boys for the way we fought today and the character we showed. We probably didn't make enough runs, but it ended up being enough in the end. Credit to the bowlers; I thought they did a hell of a job. I thought we were at least 15-20 runs short. We should have applied ourselves a little bit better. We lost some wickets in clusters in the middle and felt we didn't bat deep enough or give ourselves enough time. Having said that, it turned out to be enough. But I guess that's the game of cricket. The wicket of Rovman Powell was very crucial. He's an explosive player and a great finisher, so when we got him out on the last ball of the over, I thought it was a bonus for us. It gave us a little bit more leeway to play with in the back end. But having said that, Van der Dussen, Daniel Sams, and Chris Green are also capable hitters, so we couldn't take anything for granted. I think the way the bowlers executed was excellent. [All round performance] I wouldn't say I've done anything majorly different. I just think I'm a lot clearer and decisive, and I'm just going for it. I'm now at the point in my career where I just want to go for it a little bit more and not second-guess myself too much. I'd rather fail, I guess, with a clear mind and committing to something rather than failing with a cluttered mind. That's just been my mantra, and it has been working well for me so far. [Message to the Fans] I'll probably have to stay in my house for the next couple of days, but I just want to say thanks to the crowd. The crowd was exceptional. I really enjoyed playing cricket here at Kensington Oval. Unfortunately, I had to spoil the party for the Barbados Royals today. But having said that, I think cricket is the winner at the end of the day."

10:50 pm The Patriots have kept their playoff hopes alive with a crucial victory, while the Royals' journey has come to an end. A lively start from the Royals' openers, especially Brandon King, set a good foundation. But the innings slowed down due to their top order's slow approach at the end of the Powerplay and middle overs. The Patriots' bowlers then struck back: Salamkheil clean-bowled King, and Naseem Shah dismissed Alleyne. QDK then gifted his wicket away to Bidaisee. A dropped catch from Rizwan gave van der Dussen a life, but the Royals' middle order lost wickets, and the required run rate kept rising. The match had a dramatic twist when Salamkheil struck again with the final ball of his spell, dismissing Powell. Despite a valiant effort from van der Dussen, the Patriots' extraordinary death bowling, led by the skipper Jason Holder, sealed the victory. Holder, Salamkheil, and Bidaisee each bagged two wickets, as the Patriots successfully defended their total with brilliant execution. And the home team are the first to be eliminated from the competition, ending all their play-off hopes and calculations. The focus now shifts to the battle for the last spot for the play-off, where the Patriots' fans will be closely watching the Guyana Amazon Warriors' remaining two matches.

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots won by 1 run

2 runs needed from the last ball, 1 for a super over. Pressure all around the field.

14 needed from the last six deliveries. Slow over rate penalty, and an extra fielder comes inside the circle. Here's Holder.

26 runs needed from 12 balls. Naseem Shah to bowl the penultimate over.

Suren: "Would you rather want your openers to go guns blazing or play it slow and steady in a chase? This can have a detrimental effect on the finishers. "

Daniels Sams in