Former Aussie speedster Brett Lee, who joined the SportsAdda team last month, has been keeping a keen eye on developments in the Caribbean ahead of the eighth edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
The six-team T20 mega event will be first major franchise-based cricket tournament to mark its return since the global pandemic put a halt on sporting events across the globe.
With the tournament scheduled to commence on August 19, Lee gave an insight on who he believes will be the four teams that will qualify for the CPL playoffs.
Trinbago Knight Riders
One of the most stacked teams in the tournaments, the Knight Riders led by Kieron Pollard boast of match-winners across their lineup.
Opener Lendl Simmons, stellar all-rounder Dwayne Bravo and spin-wizard Sunil Narine are all part of the Knight Riders’ star-studded line-up. In addition to these superstars, the Trinbago side also has New Zealander and former MVP Colin Munro and the experienced Darren Bravo in their lineup.
With so much talent in the team, the three-time champions were an easy pick for Lee.
Jamaica Tallawahs
Led by the mercurial Andre Russell and Carlos Braithwaite, two-time champions Jamaica Tallawahs were Lee’s second pick to make it to the playoffs.
In addition to two of the game’s best all-rounders, the Tallawahs also employ two of the game’s brightest talents in Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane.
The teams also boast of two seasoned veterans in Jermaine Blackwood and Fidel Edwards, while also boasting of the likes of Oshane Thomas, giving the team a good balance across the board.
Barbados Tridents
Reigning champions, the Barbados Tridents is another team Lee believes will make it to the playoffs.
The two-time champions are led by West Indies skipper Jason Holder and also have last season’s MVP Hayden Walsh in their roster. In Rashid Khan, Corey Anderson and Mitchell Santner, the Tallawahs have an enviable foreign core, which will be the key to their success this season.
Guyana Amazon Warriors
Lee’s final pick was last season’s beaten finalists, the Guyana Amazon Warriors.
The Warriors had a tremendous campaign last season but were thoroughly outclassed in the final by Barbados Tridents.
The young side led by Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran also has Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd in the team. In Imran Tahir and Ross Taylor, the Warriors have two seasoned veterans of the game to lead their bowling and batting respectively.
The Warriors definitely have all the tools to go one better this season.
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Feature image courtesy: AFP / @BIMTridents
