Trinbago Knight Riders began their Women’s Caribbean Premier League campaign with a 21-run victory over defending champions Barbados Tridents at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown. India internationals Shikha Pandey and Yastika Bhatia were the vital cogs of the side, helping the team win the first game of the tournament.
Notably, Shikha delivered the decisive spell during Barbados’ chase, while Yastika marked her first WCPL appearance with a composed 35. Based on her knock and a meaningful contribution from Laura Harris, the Knight Riders posted 155 runs on the board before dismissing the Tridents for 134 in 18.4 overs.
Trinbago’s openers star, while middle order flops
The foundation for Trinbago’s innings came from Yastika and Harris. The pair put together 67 for the opening wicket, with Harris supplying the bulk of the attacking strokeplay. She made 38 from 19 deliveries, hitting four fours and three sixes. Yastika, on the other hand, struck six boundaries during her 28-ball stay. Her innings ended when she was stumped by Mandy Mangru off Qiana Joseph in the 11th over.
That dismissal was followed by a period of pressure for the Knight Riders, who fell from 93 for two to 133 for six. Madeline Penna’s 27 from 21 balls helped them recover sufficiently to finish with 155 all out from their 20 overs.
Barbados flop with bat
Barbados made a promising start in reply as Hayley Matthews and Qiana Joseph combined for 40 runs. Kiran Navgire added 28 from 21 balls, while Maddy Green scored 24 off 16 to keep the defending champions in contention. The turning point came in the 13th over when Barbados were 107 for four. Pandey then took charge of the contest, dismissing Matthews for 19 before removing Naijanni Cumberbatch and Afy Fletcher.
The seamer finished with three wickets for 17 runs from 3.4 overs at an economy rate of 4.63. She also contributed two catches and was named Player of the Match. Deandra Dottin and Samara Ramnath supported Pandey with two wickets each as Barbados’ innings ended with 16 balls still unused.
Meanwhile, India all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar endured a difficult outing. She conceded 23 runs from two overs without a wicket and then scored only two runs from three deliveries before Dottin dismissed her.
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