The Barbados Royals led by skipper Chinelle Henry were up against the Trinbago Knight Riders led by skipper Deandra Dottin in the final league game of WCPL 2025. The Royals are on a dream run even without the presence of their regular skipper Hayley Matthews. The Knight Riders on the other hand are having a forgettable campaign, after finishing as the runners up in the previous edition of the tournament.
Jess Jonassen’s fifty, lower-order cameos take Trinbago Knight Riders to 148/8
The Knight Riders skipper Deandra Dottin made the bold call to put the runs on the board against a high-flying Barbados Royals, on winning the toss. It took only two balls in the innings for skipper Chinelle Henry to get the better of her opposite number, Deandra Dottin, sending her back for a duck, providing a massive breakthrough for the Barbados Royals.
Shamilia Connell sent Jannillea Glasgow back to the pavilion to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side inside the powerplay, courtesy of an outstanding catch from Shreyanka Patil. Zaida James joined Jess Jonassen at the crease, and the pair brought the innings back on track with a much-needed 44-run partnership for the 3rd wicket, Jess Jonassen switched gears en route to that partnership.
Aaliyah Alleyne found a way to breach the gap between the bat and pad uprooting the off stump, ending Zaida James’ (17 off 21 balls) stay at the crease. Shikha Pandey partnered alongside Jess Jonassen and the pair took the attack to the opposition bowlers en route to their 39-run partnership, taking the Knight Riders past the 100-run mark.
The Royals skipper Chinelle Henry took matters in her own hands to see the back of an ominous Jess Jonassen (71 off 52 balls) in the 16th over of the innings, as she was threatening to take the game away from them. Cameos from Jahzara Claxton (15 off 10 balls) and Shabika Gajnabi (7 off 5 balls) took the Trinbago Knight Riders closer to the 150-run mark (148/8) in their quota of 20 overs. Shikha Pandey (24 off 21 balls) chipped in with vital contribution with the bat for her side.
Skipper Chinelle Henry (4-0-25-3) led from the front with the ball for her side. Shamilia Connell (4-0-33-2) was impressive with the ball for the Barbados Royals.
Fifties from Chamari Athapaththu and Courtney Webb extend unbeaten run
Defending a total of 149, Shikha Pandey’s double strike in the first over, sending Kycia Knight and Djenaba Joseph back in the hut lifted the spirits of the Deandra Dottin-led side. Courteny Webb joined Chamari Athapaththu at the crease, and the duo took them on the brink of victory with a massive 144-run stand for the 3rd wicket.
The damage was already inflicted by the time Jess Jonassen cleaned up Chamari Athapaththu (89 off 71 balls) in the penultimate over of the run chase, providing the 3rd breakthrough, a little too late for her side. Chamari Athapaththu’s breath-taking knock included 10 boundaries and 3 maximums. Courtney Webb (50* off 42 balls) also registered an impressive half-century as Barbados Royals got over the line with 7 wickets in hand and five balls to spare.
Shikha Pandey (3.1-0-19-2), and Jess Jonassen (4-0-27-1) were the only wicket-takers with the ball for the Trinbago Knight Riders. Skipper Deandra Dottin (4-0-18-0) was impressive in her spell with the ball after registering a two-ball duck with the bat for her side. Chamari Athapaththu was awarded the Player of the Match for her sensational innings with the bat for her side (89 off 71 balls). The Royals from Barbados continue their juggernaut in the 4th edition of the WCPL.
