Antigua and Barbuda Falcons 168 for 8 (Tajinder 62, Robinson 40, Paul 3-29, Russell 2-34, Hunain 2-38) beat Jamaica Kingsmen 167 for 7 (Powell 47, Hendricks 42, Joseph 3-34) by two wickets
Jayden Seales and Usama Mir gave nothing away with the ball, Alzarri Joseph cashed in and picked up three wickets, which also won him the Player-of-the-Match award, and USA's Tajinder Singh then led the chase to give Antigua and Barbuda Falcons two points on the opening night of CPL 2026. Falcons started with a two-wicket win over newbies Jamaica Kingsmen, but it took them till the last ball to get over the line.
Till the end of the 17th over of the chase of 168, it was going swimmingly for Falcons. They just 20 runs away with three overs to go, had six wickets in hand, the solid Tajinder was at the crease on 56. Then came a six-run over from Keemo Paul and an eight-run over from Andre Russell, and Karima Gore and Tajinder fell along the way.
It was still in Falcons' favour with six needed from the last over, but there was a flutter, which got worse as Hunain Shah sent back Jahmar Hamilton and Mir off the third and fourth deliveries. It then went down to two required off the last ball, which was right in the blockhole from Hunain, and Shamar Springer dug it out and sent it to long-on, and Rovman Powell - one of the best fielders in the game - fumbled. Falcons got their two runs and the two points.
It should have been a lot more straightforward for Falcons after they had set up the chase thanks to their bowlers. Apart from Reeza Hendricks up top and Powell at No. 5, there was no real fight from the Kingsmen batters. The powerplay was a solid 54 for 1 but 36 of those runs had come from Hendricks, largely because of a 28-run sixth over from Gore. By the end of the eighth over, Hendricks had fallen too, for a 25-ball 42. And the ten-over middle period (overs seven to 16) netted Kingsmen just 59 runs.
Powell's 47 took 37 balls. Russell scored eight in ten. And it was only some late hitting from Hassan Khan (10* in six balls) and Paul (16 in six) that gave the total some respectability.
Paul was at it with the ball after the changeover, sending back Evin Lewis and Rahkeem Cornwall, the openers, inside seven overs, but the chase was on track. Cornwall and Tim Robinson put together a 40-run stand for the second wicket, and Robinson and Tajinder then added 64 for the third wicket.
Till it came to that stutter towards the close, it was all Falcons, and in the end, Tajinder's 62 in 37 balls on his CPL debut made the difference, though Kingsmen will know it was the slowdown with the bat that might have scuttled their chances.
