The 2025 edition of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is underway, and last year’s regular season table-toppers, the Saint Lucia Kings, have kicked off their new campaign facing a significant hurdle: two of their most impactful players are missing from the opening matches due to a crammed global franchise cricket calendar. New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert and Afghan left-arm wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad will not link up with the squad until their fifth fixture of the season, as they are still competing in England’s flagship franchise tournament, The Hundred.
So far, the Kings have split their opening two matches at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, claiming a win in their season opener before falling to defeat on Wednesday night. Up next, the side is set to face Antigua & Barbuda Falcons at the same ground on Friday evening, followed by a clash against Barbados Tridents this coming Sunday. Coincidentally, Sunday also marks the final day of The Hundred’s 2025 season, with both Seifert and Ahmad currently plying their trade for the Manchester Super Giants, who have advanced to the tournament’s playoff round this weekend.
Seifert’s absence is particularly notable for the Kings, given his standout performance in last year’s CPL. The dynamic hard-hitting batter finished as the league’s fourth-highest run-scorer, notching 396 runs across 12 matches. His contributions accounted for more than 20% of the Kings’ total run output throughout the regular season, when the side finished at the top of the league standings.
For Ahmad, the left-arm spinner did not feature for the Kings in the 2025 CPL leading up to this season, but he played an instrumental role in the franchise’s historic maiden CPL title win in 2024. At just 19 years old during that title run, the prodigious young spinner topped the league’s wicket-taking charts, finishing with 22 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 6.19 runs per over.
In Seifert’s absence, South African batter Andries Gous stepped up to deliver a match-winning half-century in the Kings’ opening victory last Sunday. The side also got solid batting contributions on Wednesday, with both Jewel Andrew and Kamil Pooran notching fifties in the losing effort. The Kings’ spin attack is set to get another boost later in the tournament when Sri Lankan mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana joins the squad, forming a formidable spin trio alongside Ahmad and captain Roston Chase. For the opening fixtures, however, the remaining squad members have been forced to take on expanded responsibilities to cover for the two missing stars.
The good news for Kings fans is that the star duo is expected to return to the squad in time for next Wednesday’s match against the Guyana Amazon Warriors at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, and will be available for the remainder of the CPL season once they arrive.
The Saint Lucia Kings are not the only CPL side dealing with this scheduling conflict. Three other CPL franchises are also expecting to get their key players back from The Hundred commitments next week. Defending CPL champions Trinbago Knight Riders are waiting on star batter Nicholas Pooran, who is currently playing for MI London, while Jamaica Kingsmen captain Rovman Powell is competing for the Trent Rockets in the English tournament.