Keemo Paul, Powell Lift Kingsmen to Second in CPL 2026
By Ahmed Raza | Last updated: August 19, 2026
Jamaica Kingsmen climbed from the bottom of the CPL 2026 points table to second place after beating St Kitts and Nevis Patriots by 51 runs in Kingston on August 18. It was the Kingsmen’s second straight win, built on a middle-order fightback with the bat and disciplined bowling that never let the Patriots’ chase gather momentum.
Put in to bat, Kingsmen slumped to 0 for 2 inside the first over as Saurabh Netravalkar removed Kirk McKenzie and Keacy Carty. Reeza Hendricks and Usman Khan steadied things briefly before Wanindu Hasaranga struck twice in successive overs to leave the hosts at 54 for 4 in the eighth over.
Captain Rovman Powell and Keemo Paul then combined for a 99-run stand off 63 balls that changed the course of the innings. Paul was particularly aggressive, reaching a 30-ball fifty and later smashing consecutive boundaries in a 22-run over before falling for 65 off 36 deliveries, caught at long-on off a Jason Holder slower ball. Powell added 49 before holing out off Obed McCoy, while Andre Russell struck two sixes in a quickfire unbeaten 14 to help Kingsmen post 181 for 6.
In reply, the Patriots suffered an almost identical top-order collapse but could not stage a similar recovery. Hassan Khan, Hunain Shah and Paul removed Andre Fletcher, Johnson Charles and Kyle Mayers to leave them 31 for 3 inside five overs, and further wickets from Vitel Lawes and a mid-pitch run-out pushed them to 64 for 5 by the ninth over.
Kevin Wickham and Navin Bidaisee added a brief resistance, taking the total past 100, but with the required rate climbing above 12 an over, the Patriots lost momentum. Bidaisee retired out for 19, and Holder fell cheaply after Russell struck twice more in the death overs. Paul returned to finish with 3 for 30, wrapping up the innings at 130 in 18 overs.
The result marks Kingsmen’s second consecutive victory after an 0-3 start to their CPL 2026 campaign, while the Patriots suffered their second defeat in three matches.
