TKR topple Warriors to win 2025 CPL title!

The Trinbago Knight Riders held their nerve to beat the Guyana Amazon Warriors by three wickets in a tense finale of the 2025 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) at a jam-packed Providence Stadium.

Put in to bat after captain Imran Tahir won the toss, the Warriors stumbled early when rookie Quentin Sampson fell to Andre Russell off just the fourth ball. Despite Ben McDermott’s brisk 28 from 17, the hosts reached just 41/2 inside the PowerPlay and never truly found rhythm.

The Knight Riders’ spin trio turned the screws, with Player of the Match Akeal Hosein (2/26), Usman Tariq (1/18), and the miserly Sunil Narine (0/30) choking the middle overs. Left-arm seamer Saurabh Netravalkar then tore through the lower order with 3/25, leaving the Warriors with a modest total to defend.

But the chase was far from straightforward. The champions wobbled at 89/4 in the 13th over, sparking hopes of a Warriors fightback. Kieron Pollard, however, flexed his big-match pedigree, blasting three sixes off Tahir to briefly steady nerves.

Providence roared again when Tahir struck twice in two balls, removing Pollard and Russell to swing the game back on a knife’s edge. Yet Hosein proved the cool head in the chaos, sealing victory and Knight Riders’ record fifth CPL crown with back-to-back boundaries off Gudakesh Motie.

Akeal Hosein brings out the bat-drop celebration after the win. (Cricinfo)

Alex Hales anchored with 26 (34), and Hosein’s composure under pressure ensured the Knight Riders reached 133/7 with 12 balls to spare. Tahir finished with 3/34, capping a brilliant tournament where he topped the wicket taking charts with 23 scalps.

The Warriors thrilled their home fans with grit and fight, but the night and history belonged once again to TKR. (cplt20.com)