Trinbago vs Patriots, 19th Match at Tarouba, CPL, Sep 01 2025 - Ball by Ball Commentary

That's a wrap on all the CPL action for today! Thank you for staying with us. We'll be back after a day's break with more exciting matches. Until then, this is Rashad Mahbub, pulling the curtains down on today's commentary alongside Ranjith. Sayonara!

Nicholas Pooran: "First of all, all praise and thanks to God. What is most pleasing for me is that we understood the conditions and what was going to happen. We felt like we lost the toss today, and we had to assess the conditions on a wicket with some moisture. Everything we spoke about happened today. We had a really good partnership with Pollard and myself. The most important thing for me today is that we understood that the Powerplay was going to be tough, especially defending 180. The bowlers tried to eliminate Fletcher and Evin Lewis as quickly as possible, and the bowling outside the Powerplay was incredible for us, especially from Sunil Narine and Amir. But most importantly, Nathan Edward answered that call. We only won this game today because of Nathan. [Russell and Amir] These guys will be fine; they are warriors. They've been playing with injuries and niggles throughout their careers, and they're going to be fine. [Message to the fans] We can't ask for anything better. This is for them; they came out today even though the sun was very hot. They have been supporting us from the first game. I really appreciate them, and we're happy we can come here, put some smiles on their faces, and let them enjoy this Independence holiday much more."

Jason Holder: "I felt we were in the game until probably the 12th or 13th over. We got a little stuck after that and weren't able to get it going in the back end. Unfortunately, we weren't able to close the game out. We just wanted to keep ticking over. Alick Athanaze didn't do a horrible job, but we were probably a boundary or two short. Having said that, I still think we should have gone over the line. [Next match] We just have to play fearless cricket. We've got nothing to lose from here. We have to play for some pride, at least. We never know what can happen at the table, so we still have to go out there and put up a big effort. [Facing the Knight Riders] For me personally, there's no intimidation. I really love the crowd. The crowd came out in big numbers today, despite the hot, blazing sun, and that really energized me. I think it energized the boys as well. We always want to play in front of a healthy crowd. We just have cricket to play, and we need to execute our plans. I thought we bowled well. Pollard is one of those players who can come in and take a game away from anybody, and I felt he played really well. Our spinners and seamers did a decent job as well, so our bowling wasn't too bad."

Player of the Match, Kieron Pollard: "I wouldn't say this is the form of my life. I've been here for 20 years and more. But it's a moment where I continue to just enjoy cricket at this stage and try to give the fans, my family, and the people close to me something to share. I obviously play each ball on its merit. You look at the situation of the game and the bowlers who are coming. We speak about this inside the dressing room. It's a game of chess and understanding what is needed. You don't get these things overnight. I would have messed up a lot of games before that, but now, at this stage of my career, I just try to help the youngsters, and because I'm also doing some coaching, I have to show them what to do. You'll have to ask the opposition about my presence. But for me, it's more mental in terms of preparation, processes, and understanding what is needed. Over a period of time, I've just come to understand my game, and I play my game, not the opposition's."

3:32 pm The visitors seemed to have the game in their bag for the first ten overs, but the Knight Riders had a different plan for the latter stages, pulling off a bizarre comeback to win. The Patriots got off to a fantastic start, scoring 50 runs in the Powerplay thanks to openers Fletcher and Lewis. Fletcher even got a life on 35 when he was dropped by Pollard, and was dropped again in the very next over by Usman Tariq. After ten overs, the Patriots were cruising at 89 for no loss. The game turned completely right after the strategic timeout. Nathan Edward got the crucial breakthrough, dismissing Evin Lewis for 42 runs off 25 balls. After Lewis's wicket, the Patriots' run rate slowed, and the required run rate kept on rising. Edward then struck again, picking up two back-to-back wickets to put the Patriots into real danger. The Knight Riders, with a combination of exceptional fielding and brilliant bowling, completely restricted the Patriots, turning an 89/0 start into a 12-run loss. Edward finished with three wickets, while Amir grabbed two. The Knight Riders will celebrate their fifth consecutive home win, and they qualify for the Playoffs, but they'll have two injury concerns to deal with in Amir and Andre Russell.

Aftab: "Are Riders thru to top 4?" Yes, Aftab.

Trinbago Knight Riders won by 12 runs

Hajji49: "Guess winning and losing are really habits. I'm a TKR fan but the Patriots should have had this one in the bag easily, given the start they had. Now they need a near miracle."

Now, the big question. Who will bowl the last over? Russell isn't there, Bishop mentioned it again. It will be Usman Tariq! And they are behind with the over-rate, need to add another fielder inside the circle.

Oh dear! Amir is limping during his bowling runup, holding his groin. Amir is in a lot of pain! He screamed while delivering the ball and is now limping off the field with the physio's support, clutching his groin. This is a very serious concern. As Samuel Badree notes on live air, it doesn't look good at all; they should have brought in the stretcher for him. Here's Edward to bowl the last two deliveries. He is on a hat-trick, though.

Nilesh Garg: "Why has Rizwan come out to bat at 7 when he generally opens? Did i miss something" Same question here and in the feedback section too, Garg.

Russell is not out there, informs Bishop on live air.

Amir to bowl the penultimate over.

Kasinathan: "In fact the extra 2 balls bowled by Edward resulted in two wickets"