The 2024 Women’s Caribbean Premier League got off to a thrilling start at Bridgetown’s iconic Kensington Oval on Saturday, where player-of-the-match Shikha Pandey delivered a standout all-round performance to hand the Trinbago Knight Riders Women a 21-run victory over three-time defending champions Barbados Tridents.
Put into bat first after Tridents captain Hayley Matthews won the toss, the Knight Riders got off to a blistering start in the mandatory powerplay. Openers Laura Harris and Yastika Bhatia dominated the Tridents bowling attack, carrying the side to a comfortable 71 for 1 by the end of the first six overs. Harris was particularly destructive, cracking 38 runs off just 19 deliveries, featuring four crisp fours and three towering sixes. Bhatia chipped in with a solid 35, while middle-order batter Madeline Penna added 27 to the total. However, a dramatic late-order collapse saw the Knight Riders’ last six batters all dismissed for single-digit scores, with the side bowled out for 155 runs on the final ball of their 20-over innings.
The Tridents fought hard to restrict the defending champions’ opponents, with young seamer Qiana Joseph leading the bowling effort with three wickets for 27 runs. Former captain Suzie Bates claimed 2 for 25, while Matthews also picked up two wickets for 26 runs to cap a strong bowling display from the titleholders.
In response, the Tridents got their run chase off to a promising start, with Matthews and Joseph putting on an early opening partnership. Matthews fell for 19 off 13 deliveries on the last ball of the fifth over, and Joseph followed just one over later, dismissed for 25 on the penultimate ball of the sixth over. That left the Tridents 47 for 2 at the conclusion of the powerplay, with momentum shifting firmly in the Knight Riders’ favor.
Number three batter Kiran Navgire top-scored for the Tridents with 28 off 21 deliveries, and Maddy Green contributed 24, but the side failed to build sustained partnerships after the powerplay. Pandey, who was consistently accurate and economical with her medium-pace bowling, ripped through the Tridents lower order to finish with sensational figures of 3 wickets for just 17 runs. All-rounder Deandra Dottin chipped in with two wickets for 24 runs, while Samara Ramnath also picked up two wickets for 16 runs. The Tridents were eventually bowled out for 134 runs with six balls still left in their innings, sealing a 21-run opening win for the Trinbago Knight Riders.