Caribbean Premier League: A league where records are made!

It would not be wrong to say that after the inception of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008, the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has become one of the most exciting and interesting leagues in the world. Hundreds of international and national players from different franchises take part in the CPL for a period of two months at Caribbean grounds, entertaining fans all around the world. However, it wasn't easy to gain such a reputation in the initial stages, but as time passed, it became a league where records are made and broken.

We say this because, in the 5th match of the CPL (Caribbean Premier League) between St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and Saint Lucia Kings, cricket fans witnessed one of the best run chases ever, which broke several records. After winning the toss, Saint Lucia Kings opted to bowl first at Warner Park. With big hitters like Evin Lewis, Andre Fletcher, and Kyle Mayers in the squad, they managed to score 201 runs in 20 overs, thanks to a record-breaking partnership of 199 runs for the 2nd wicket between Lewis and Mayers. This partnership is now the highest in CPL history, surpassing the previous record of 162 runs set by Chris Gayle and Chadwick Walton against the Patriots in 2019.

However, their contribution was unsuccessful as Saint Lucia Kings chased down 202 runs with 16 balls to spare, thanks to Bhanuka Rajapaksha, Tim Seifert, and David Wiese. This is now considered one of the greatest comebacks in CPL history, as Saint Lucia was 4 wickets down with only 24 runs on the board in 4 overs, requiring 178 runs in the next 16 overs with 6 wickets in hand against a strong bowling lineup featuring Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Odean Smith.

Rajapaksha, along with New Zealand’s Tim Seifert, formed a crucial partnership of 103 runs for the 5th wicket, keeping the run chase alive. Later, former Namibian cricketer David Wiese finished the job, scoring 34 runs off 20 balls, including 2 boundaries and 2 sixes, with a strike rate of 170.

With this win, Saint Lucia Kings secured their first victory of the season and moved up to 3rd position on the points table. Meanwhile, St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots are in 5th position, having won 1 out of 3 games.

Let’s look at the records of the Caribbean Premier League:

• Trinbago Knight Riders hold the record for the highest team total in CPL history, scoring 257 runs in 20 overs on 13 September 2019 against Jamaica Tallawahs.
• Red Steel holds the record for the lowest total of 52 runs, set in 2013 against Tridents.
• Trinbago Knight Riders also hold the record for the highest margin of victory, winning by 133 runs while defending a total of 195 runs against Royals in the last edition.
• Amazon Warriors hold the record for conceding the most extras, with 27 against Tallawahs in 2023.
• Lendl Simmons holds the record for scoring the most fifties in CPL history, with 20 fifties to his name.
• Evin Lewis holds the record for hitting the most sixes in CPL history, with 194 sixes in 99 matches.
• Johnson Charles holds the record for scoring the most runs in CPL history, with 2,867 runs in 107 games.
• Dwayne Bravo holds the record for the most wickets in CPL history, with 128 wickets in 104 matches.