Aaliyah Alleyne's four helps Barbados Royals defend WCPL crown

A four-wicket haul from fast-bowling allrounder Aaliyah Alleyne paved the way for Barbados Royals' second Women's Caribbean Premier League title. In a low-scoring final, Royals restricted Trinbago Knight Riders to 93 for 8 before overhauling the target with five overs to spare. Royals were the defending champions and finished runners-up in the inaugural WCPL in 2022. In the wake of being approached to bat, TKR began the right note with chief Deandra Dottin - back in West Indies' crew for the Ladies' T20 World Cup 2024 subsequent to switching her global retirement - smacking a six off Chinelle Henry in the opening over. Yet, things went down south for them after Royals' captain Hayley Matthews inspired one to slip in through Dottin in the second finished. Henry then excused Jemimah Rodrigues, who guaranteed TKR's capability with 50 years in the past excursion, got and bowled for only two. Opening the batting instead of Harshitha Samarawickrama, who was forgotten about, Jannillea Glasgow then, at that point, added 43 for the third with Shikha Pandey, who was elevated to No. 4. The presentation of Alleyne in the twelfth over steered the game. She struck on her most memorable ball to have Glasgow miscue one to mid-off prior to tidying up Pandey in her next finished. Alleyne's twofold wicket sixteenth over, where she excused Chedean Country and Zaida James inside four balls, carried TKR to a dramatic stop. Three of her four wickets broke the hitters' stumps, and she accomplished that by continually keeping the stumps in play. Pursuing 94 for consecutive titles, Royals dashed off inside the powerplay with Chamari Athapaththu being the attacker. She struck three sequential fours off Jess Jonassen in the fourth finished and afterward a further three off Shamilia Connell in the penultimate over of the powerplay, toward the finish of which, Royals were 48 for 0. Offspinner Samara Ramnath, TKR's driving wicket-taker in WCPL 2024, then, at that point, excused Matthews - got by a plunging Dottin at in reverse point. A couple of overs later, Connell pulled off an athletic catch at long-on to dispose of Qiana Joseph for Ramnath's subsequent wicket. Several balls in the wake of taking a catch to excuse Alleyne at long-on, however, Connell arrived on the limit pad trying to get a Laura Harris hit and harmed her lower leg. She must be stretchered off, and the West Indies the executives will screen her recuperation since she is important for the T20 World Cup crew. In spite of losing three wickets for two runs in the center, Athapaththu kept at it and fixed Royals' success in the fifteenth over to set the festivals off. The outcome was fitting for Royals, who lost just a single match this season. Matthews was the Player of the Competition, because of a diagram beating 11 wickets and the second-most runs in WCPL 2024. Barbados Royals 94 for 6 (Athapaththu 39*, Ramnath 2-18) beat Trinbago Knight Riders 93 for 8 (Pandey 28, Glasgow 24, Alleyne 4-21, Matthews 2-13) by four wickets