12.40pm After so much rain, the game is called off. It continues pouring down considerably, and as a result, the teams share the points. They get a point each from their opening match of the season. But the action at the CPL isn't yet done for today, as GAW face SLK in the day's evening match. Until then, see you and take care!
12.25pm We are just seeing that it's raining again, and the covers are back in place. It looks like heavy rain, even if it's windy at the moment. And in a flash, it has suddenly gotten bright.
11.34am So we can wait until 1.27pm for a five-over match. That is almost two hours from now. And the broadcast shows that though it's dry at the moment, the next official update will be at 12.40pm, which is an hour away.
"Would like to know when we start losing overs..." --- We don't have an update on that yet, Imran. We'll provide one as soon we get it
11.25am Live pictures show the umpires walking out for inspection. There is still a puddle in the right-hander's deep midwicket region from one of the ends. The super sopper, which had gone home for a while, is invited again. More wait for us.
But even as rain takes its rounds in Gros Islet, there's a whole bunch of live matches which you can run through: UAE are hosting New Zealand, the Hundred is happening in England, the LPL is taking place in Sri Lanka, and the Maharaja Trophy is being held in the Indian state of Karnataka.
11.10am So the news is that all covers are taken off. We are getting closer to a restart. The next official update is at 11.30am.
10.44am The main cover is taken off, and almost the entire outfield is also free of covers right now. A bit of sunshine is peeping in as well, and we could resume soon.
10.34am There's some good news: rain has stopped. But because it was a heavy spell, there are quite a few damp patches on the field. But the super sopper is ready, even as things just slightly seems to have become brighter.
10.25am In some unwanted news, rain has got heavier at the Daren Sammy Stadium. It looks gloomy all around, in a hint that this could be a long wait. The super sopper is at work already, with wet patches forming on the outfield.
"TKR playing with only 1 overseas player" --- Excellent observation, Anish. It's almost an achievement to play only one foreigner in the days when teams are so perplexed as to how to best fill the four available slots
10.21am And, and... here comes the rain. The ground staff hurriedly places the cover on the pitch and the outfield, and the players head off. But it's very windy too, as one of the umpires struggles to keep the umbrella on his head.
END OF OVER:3 | 8 Runs 1 Wkt | TKR: 18/1 | RR: 6.00
- Chadwick Walton1 (2b)
- Mark Deyal2 (2b)
- Sheldon Cottrell2-0-10-1
- Blessing Muzarabani1-0-7-0
Walton
MJ Guptill b Cottrell 11 (15b 2x4 0x6) SR: 73.33
He runs in to bowl, but loses the ball as his hand hits his pants
Eric: "Been quite a poor year for the Knight Riders franchise as a whole, hopefully TKR can turn it around!"
END OF OVER:2 | 7 Runs | TKR: 10/0 | RR: 5.00
- Martin Guptill7 (12b)
- Mark Deyal1 (1b)
- Blessing Muzarabani1-0-7-0
- Sheldon Cottrell1-0-2-0
Free hit
Slip in now
Muzarabani from the other end
END OF OVER:1 | 3 Runs | TKR: 3/0 | RR: 3.00
- Martin Guptill1 (5b)
- Mark Deyal1 (1b)
- Sheldon Cottrell1-0-2-0
Slip taken off
Deyal facing his first ball. Slip for him too.
Nick: "Wooow, n° 4 to 8 for TKR: Pooran, Pollard, Russell, Bravo, Narine !! Amazing middle order!"
Cottrell has the new ball for STKNP. Guptill on strike, as a slip awaits.
9.57am We are starting on time despite the rain around. The TKR openers wait to walk out, as the super sopper still swings itself on the outfield. But we are good to go: the STKNP fielders rush out, followed by the two batters.
Yoel: "Cricket teams shouldn't be allowed to hold so many stars like T"
So among the highlights, former India and CSK batter Ambati Rayudu makes his CPL debut, as he lines up for STKNP.
TKR: 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Chadwick Walton (wk), 3 Mark Deyal, 4 Nicholas Pooran, 5 Kieron Pollard (capt), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Akeal Hosein, 10 Kadeem Alleyne, 11 Jayden Seales
STKNP: 1 Evin Lewis (capt), 2 Andre Fletcher (wk), 3 Corbin Bosch, 4 Sherfane Rutherford, 5 Ambati Rayudu, 6 Joshua Da Silva, 7 George Linde, 8 Dominic Drakes, 9 Sheldon Cottrell, 10 Oshane Thomas, 11 Blessing Muzarabani
9.46am News is that STKNP win the toss and bowl. Pollard, TKR's captain, finds total contrast to most of the night games which his side have played in the past, with this one being played early in the morning. Mbangwa says the pitch "looks good", though there are patches he is concerned about.
Afeef: "TKR have the biggest Carribbean T20 superstars in their team (except Chris Gayle). They better win the trophy this season. They were similarly star-studded last season too but finished last. Sad to see Colin Munro no longer with TKR after he was a constant for them for 7 seasons, but Rossouw is a like-for-like replacement."
So here comes confirmation that toss is at 9.45am, and first ball is at 10am.
9.34am The umpires inspect the outfield because of some rain in the recent past, even as there is some sunshine at the ground at the moment. It is windy too, and Pommie Mbangwa reports that there's some water beyond the boundary line. However, he says it is "much better" on the actual field of play. He hopes we can start soon, though when that happens is hardly known now.
9.15am The fact that the quintet of Bravo, Pollard, Pooran, Narine and Russell are on the same side tilts this contest TKR's way already. But the fact that this is a T20 probably provides STKNP some relief already, because only one over in this format can sometimes tend to be enough to turn this game around. This is Himanshu saying hello ahead of the third match this CPL, as both TKR and STKNP start their campaign.
