Andre Fletcher struck an unbeaten 48 to guide the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots to their first victory of the 2026 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League, defeating the Saint Lucia Kings by five wickets at the Daren Sammy Stadium.
Chasing 156 for victory, the Patriots remained patient throughout the innings before Fletcher calmly carried them across the finish line. His composed knock completed a strong all-round performance after Saurabh Netravalkar and Jason Holder claimed three wickets each to restrict the Kings to 155 for eight.
Netravalkar took three for 32, while Holder returned impressive figures of three for 20. The pair caused early problems with the new ball, striking twice during the first half of the powerplay, including the dismissal of dangerous opener Andreis Gous.
Kamil Pooran, playing only his second match at this level, then joined Jewel Andrew to rebuild the Kings’ innings. The young pair added 82 runs for the third wicket and both registered half-centuries, with Pooran reaching the milestone for the first time in T20 cricket.
Their partnership ended when Wanindu Hasaranga produced a brilliant direct hit from deep cover to run out Pooran. Andrew continued the resistance with an impressive 58 from 42 balls, but the Kings lost wickets regularly around him.
The hosts managed only 22 runs and lost five wickets during the final five overs, wasting the platform created by Pooran and Andrew and finishing with a below-par total.
The Patriots began their reply cautiously before Kyle Mayers increased the tempo with 32. He placed his team in a strong position before Maheesh Theekshana used his variations effectively to remove him.
Fletcher then took control of the chase, rotating the strike and keeping the required rate manageable. Theekshana and Roston Chase attempted to restrict the Patriots during the middle overs, with Kevin Wickham and Holder both falling to the spin pair.
However, after seeing off the threat of Chase and Theekshana, the Patriots regained control. The remaining Kings bowlers struggled to apply the same pressure, allowing Fletcher to secure a comfortable victory.
The Kings will host the Barbados Tridents on Friday, while the Patriots will travel to Jamaica to face the Jamaica Kingsmen at Sabina Park on Tuesday.
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