One of the prominent Twenty20 cricket leagues globally, the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), is set to begin its ninth season from August 26. Whether you’re a cricket lover or a punter, now is the time to analyse the team line-ups, the strengths and weaknesses of each player, the quality of the pitch, and playing conditions.
Historically, CPL has offered batsmen-friendly pitches, which also assisted spinners. This year, too, spin is going to play an important part because all the matches will be held at Warner Park, Saint Kitts and Nevis. This pitch is likely to help spinners move the ball.
That’s only fair because it allows a relatively even contest between the bat and the ball. Apart from spinners, even medium-pacers have been effective in the previous editions of CPL, which means there’s something for everyone in this league. That is what makes it worth looking out for.
In the run-up to CPL 2021, Fun88’s experts have analysed betting odds, team compositions, playing conditions, and many other factors to predict the winner, runner-up, top scorer, top wicket-taker, and a lot more.
Read on as we throw light on the likely course of CPL in its ninth edition.
CPL 2021 Predictions for Winner & Runner-Up Teams
After spending countless hours on every nuance of the game, our experts think that Trinbago Knight Riders has the best chance of winning the CPL 2021 cup. If they do so, they will be emerging as CPL winners for the record fifth time.
Sceptics may doubt our prediction, but our assessment shows that no other team has the kind of talented pool this team has. Granted that they have lost their champion bowler, Dwayne Bravo, to St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, but even then, they have Sunil Narine and Khary Pierre, who are wicket-taking bowlers.
Moreover, Trinbago Knight Riders have got the rising leg-spinner from Nepal, Sandeep Lamichhane, on their side. This addition seems well thought of, given that Warner Park provides help to spinners.
Besides, they have the most formidable batting combination, thanks to Kieron Pollard, Colin Munro, and Lendl Simmons. Munro and Simmons were the leading-scorers of CPL in 2018 and 2020, respectively. Munro had hammered an impressive 567 runs in 2018, playing a vital role in Trinbago Knight Riders winning the cup.
Guyana Amazon Warriors is most likely to finish as the runner-up this year. Per se, it’s not bad, but if they indeed lose in the final, it will be the sixth occasion that they will fail to win the final. There’s no denying that Guyana Amazon Warriors is a talented side. They have two of the most destructive T20 batsmen in their line-up: Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer.
Pooran has scored more than 3,000 runs in the T20 format, and he’s almost a veteran of limited-overs cricket. Hetmyer, on the other hand, loves dealing in sixes and can quickly propel the run-rate. Brandon King is another talented batsman on their side, who too can win matches.
When it comes to bowling, they have one of the best spinners in the world, Imran Tahir, and also a rising wrist-spinner, Waqar Salamkheil. Guyana Amazon Warriors also has Naveen-ul-Haq, a talented medium-pacer from Afghanistan, who was quite impressive in CPL 2020’s edition.
If Guyana Amazon Warriors has so much talent, the question is: Why can’t they win the cup this time? We think that they don’t have the killer combination of the kind Trinbago Knight Riders has. No doubt they are a talented side, but they need the ability to win the tight moments regularly to win the cup.
Predictions for CPL Top Scorer & Top Wicket-Taker in its Ninth Edition
He’s one of the most prolific batsmen in this league, having earlier also been CPL top scorer. So far, he has scored 1,753 runs for them at an impressive average of 39.84. After Munro, Lendl Simmons, Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer are going to be the other leading scorers of CPL 2021.
Since Warner Park will provide help for spinners, it’s very possible that he would end up being the leading wicket-taker this time around. Imran Tahir is most expected to take maximum wickets in CPL 2021.
Although Tahir has never achieved this feat earlier, he has taken 47 wickets in 32 matches for Guyana Amazon Warriors to date. He’s going to trouble batters with his googlies this time as well.
Dwayne Bravo was the leading wicket-taker twice earlier, but he has switched sides to St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. His wicket-tally will depend upon how far his team goes, and it’s not likely that they will go far. Both Narine and Lamichhane are capable of taking wickets.
Young Guns to Watch Out for in CPL 2021
Playing in CPL gives them international exposure and enables them to hone their skills. Some of these young players can turn out to be match-winners this time.
In the ninth season of CPL, many young spinners will play, hoping to impress everyone with their performance. Like we discussed, Warner Park’s pitch usually helps spin movement, and that’s why teams were eager to sign-up spinners. Leg spin, in particular, can be effective at Warner Park.
Other teams also have capable young spinners like Waqar Salamkheil (Guyana Amazon Warriors) and Qais Ahmad (Jamaica Tallawahs).
Waqar Salamkheil and Qais Ahmad are both young cricketers from Afghanistan. They are 19-20 years of age and are looking forward to gaining valuable experience at CPL. While Salamkheil is a left-arm wrist-spinner, Ahmad is a leg spinner. Both can turn the ball enough to trouble even a well-set batsman.
Oshane Thomas (Barbados Tridents) and Naveen-ul-Haq (Guyana Amazon Warriors) are bright young fast-bowlers who’ll be eager to make their mark in CPL 2021. He can bowl bouncers, Yorkers and can also swing the ball.
Naveen-ul-Haq, a 21-year-old fast-medium bowler from Afghanistan, will be looking forward to playing well in this edition of CPL.
While Da Silva and Julien are wicketkeeper-batsmen, James and Seales are fast bowlers. These players have excelled at the Under-19 level, and they are ready to show their mettle at a bigger stage.
Related Read: CPL Winners List, Runner-Up & Leading Players
Visit Fun88 and get amazing tips, insights, and prizes to bet on CPL 2021 matches
At Fun88, we aim to deliver cracking insights and tips into CPL 2021 so that you can place your bets and win big bucks. We have exciting lucky draws, prizes, and bonuses for punters willing to bet on CPL.
Fun88 provides a lot of options for punters to bet on. They can start betting even before CPL 2021 begins on the outright winner of the tournament, top batsman, top bowler, etc. Register at Fun88 and start betting now!
