The Caribbean Premier League, now in its eighth season, has produced some thrillers over the years. These are ten of the best.
Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel v Antigua Hawksbills, 2013
Red Steel won by one run (DLS method)
After the Bravo brothers, Dwayne and Darren, lifted Red Steel to 169 with a 73-run partnership, Dwayne Bravo and Samuel Badree made early inroads, reducing Hawksbills to 63 for 3 in their rain-truncated chase of 134 in 15 overs. The middle order, including Ricky Ponting, who was batting at No. 7, also crumbled, and it came down to Hawksbills needing 19 off the final over with three wickets in hand. Bravo had an over left himself, but he backed young left-arm seamer Delorn Johnson to deliver under pressure. After Sheldon Cottrell hoisted a straight six off the first delivery and the second went for three byes, Johnson had Ben Rohrer holing out. Cottrell scrambled a double off the fourth ball, but Johnson held his nerve and killed off the chase with a wide yorker that beat Cottrell.
Guyana Amazon Warriors v Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel, 2014
Amazon Warriors won in the Super Over
That Sunil Narine Super Over wicket-maiden. He had already played his part in the game, getting 16 off 19 balls from No. 8 in the chase to help Amazon Warriors tie with Red Steel. In the Super Over, he had to defend 11. He swerved four quick balls away from a young Nicholas Pooran, who could not put bat on ball. Red Steel captain Dwayne Bravo was left shaking his head in the dugout. With the fifth delivery, Narine had Pooran holing out to long-off. Narine proceeded to beat Ross Taylor with the last delivery to cap off an incredible over.
When Sunil Narine, 32 today, bowled a wicket maiden in a Super Over
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 26, 2020
(via @CPL)pic.twitter.com/r2AkrA2Sgw
Barbados Tridents v Antigua Hawksbills, 2014
Tridents won by one wicket with two balls remaining
After Ravi Rampaul's 4 for 15, including three strikes in the powerplay, restricted Hawksbills to 129 for 8, Tridents might have expected a straightforward chase. However, Carlos Brathwaite and Sheldon Cottrell sliced through the Tridents top order and made them scrap for a narrow win. When Jonathan Carter was run out for 35, Tridents needed 27 off 26 balls. A wicket fell in every subsequent over to leave Tridents 10 to get off the 20th. Rayad Emrit hit a crucial four before being run out, forcing the No. 11 to come in. Luckily for Tridents, it was No. 9 Akeal Hosein on strike, and he manage to squeeze out a two to take them home.
Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel v Guyana Amazon Warriors, 2014
Red Steel won by four wickets with 0 balls remaining
In pursuit of 180, Red Steel collapsed to 13 for 3. Enter the Bravo brothers. They shellacked 131 together off 12.5 overs. Jimmy Neesham removed Dwayne for 67 off 42 balls, and it came down to nine needed off the last over. A good first five balls meant Darren needed six off the last. He slugged Ronsford Beaton over the midwicket fence to finish the comeback.
Barbados Tridents v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, 2015
Patriots won by one run Patriots survived a scare from Kieron Pollard to edge this thriller. In pursuit of 144, Tridents managed a mere 15 for 3 in the powerplay. Then came the Pollard assault. He hit 82 off 58 and showed he could even tackle wristspin, thought to be his weakness, clouting South Africa's Tabraiz Shamsi for a pair of sixes and a four in an 18-run over. With Tridents needing 19 off the last over, Pollard missed the first ball, but smeared the next two for a four and a six. After a no-ball and a single, Navin Stewart carved a four to leave two to get off the last ball to force a Super Over. Stewart could not get away a full-toss and Tridents fell one short.
Trinbago Knight Riders v Jamaica Tallawahs, 2018
Tallawahs won by four wickets with three balls remaining
This game is remembered for one of Andre Russell's finest all-round T20 performances. In what was his T20 captaincy debut, Russell took a hat-trick and scored a century to lead Tallawahs to victory. Knight Riders had smashed 212 off 19 overs when Russell came on for the last over of the innings. A hat-trick kept the score down to 223. In the chase, Tallawahs slipped to 41 for 5, but Russell raised them from the dead with some brutal hitting. He broke the record for most sixes in a CPL game, hitting 13, and finished with 121 off 49 balls as Tallawahs won with balls to spare.
Trinbago Knight Riders v St Lucia Stars, 2018
Knight Riders won by five wickets with one ball remaining
Another Darren Bravo special, this time against St Lucia Stars. On a flat track in Gros Islet, Stars posted 212. In reply, Knight Riders found themselves in a hole at 20 for 2 and then 71 for 3, but Brendon McCullum and Darren hauled them out of it with a breathtaking assault. It was Darren who led the way, hitting 10 sixes, including five off one Kieron Pollard over. Even after that carnage, Knight Riders were left needing 53 off 24 balls. Although McCullum and Javon Searles were dismissed in the penultimate over, Darren stayed till the end to complete the chase. He finished with 94 not out off 36 balls.
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v Jamaica Tallawahs, 2019
Patriots won by four wickets with seven balls remaining
The record for highest CPL total was broken twice in a night as Patriots gunned down Tallawahs' 241 with more than an over to spare. In the first innings, Chris Gayle got his 22nd T20 ton, but he was outdone by Devon Thomas, Evin Lewis and Fabian Allen on a night of extraordinary hitting. Lewis' 53 off just 18 balls got the chase off to a blazing start - Tallawahs were 89 for 1 after the powerplay. Thomas made 71, but there were still 65 to get off six overs once he was dismissed. Fabian Allen stepped up with 37 off 15 balls to help Patriots finish the second-highest successful chase in all T20s.
Trinbago Knight Riders v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, 2019
Patriots won in the Super Over
Carlos Brathwaite had a patchy 2019 season, but in this game, he fired with both bat and ball. After Knight Riders had amassed 216, thanks to Lendl Simmons' 90 off 45 balls, Evin Lewis dashed out of the blocks for the Patriots, but three wickets in the space of four overs rattled them. With nine overs gone, the required run-rate had climbed above 12. Then, Brathwaite went on a boundary-hitting spree, and his 30-ball 64 set up a Super Over. He returned to take strike in the Super Over, launching three boundaries off Ali Khan to give the Patriots 18. Brathwaite wasn't done yet; he took the ball, beat Darren Bravo with the first delivery and then had him edging behind off the second. He then nailed his lengths and conceded just five runs in the over.
Barbados Tridents v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, 2019
Patriots won by one run
Tridents were cruising at 40 for 1 in chase of 150. Then, Sheldon Cottrell pulled off an outstanding catch running back from short fine leg to send back Alex Hales and spark Patriots' revival. Carlos Brathwaite dismissed Shakib, Jonathan Carter, and JP Duminy to make Patriots favourites. But there was another twist when, with 37 needed off 18 balls and just three wickets left, Raymon Reifer hit Brathwaite and Cottrell for sixes. That left 12 to get off the final over, and Reifer smashed another six, off Dominic Drakes. The next ball, though, he was run out and Tridents ended up one run short.