The 2026 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League final delivered its first dramatic twist on Sunday night at Bridgetown’s iconic Kensington Oval, after Antigua and Barbuda Falcons won the pre-match coin toss and elected to send Jamaica Kingsmen into bat first. What followed was a masterclass in aggressive opening batting that would define the first half of the championship decider.
Left out of many pre-tournament pundit predictions, the Kingsmen’s innings relied heavily on a career-best knock from opener Maaz Sadaqat, who anchored the entire batting lineup with a blistering 114 runs off just 58 deliveries. Sadaqat’s innings was a display of controlled power: he found the boundary eight times for four, cleared the rope on nine occasions for sixes, and carried his team through a steady collapse of middle-order wickets to post a competitive total. Outside of Sadaqat’s historic knock, only one other Kingsmen batter managed to reach double figures: number four batter Saim Ayub, who contributed a solid 29 runs off 22 deliveries to boost the total before being dismissed.
For the Falcons, the bowling attack put in a disciplined performance that restricted what could have been an even larger target, led by spin bowler Sufyan Moqim, who turned in the best bowling figures of the innings. Moqim claimed four key wickets for just 14 runs, breaking key partnerships and stopping the Kingsmen’s momentum in the late overs. Experienced fast bowler Alzarri Joseph also delivered for the Falcons, picking up two wickets for 27 runs to help contain the Kingsmen’s scoring. By the end of their 20 overs, Jamaica Kingsmen had posted a total of 170 runs for the loss of nine wickets, setting Antigua and Barbuda Falcons a 171-run target to claim the 2026 Caribbean Premier League title.