It's do or die for Trinbago Knight Riders and Guyana Warriors, with the two teams battling for the finalist spot of the Caribbean Premier League 2017. The two teams are set for a massive second qualifier at Brian Lara Stadium on Thursday.
The Knight Riders might have been the best team in the group stages of the CPL 2017, but things did not go according to plan for them in the first qualifier. They lost to St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots, who have reached the finals of the competition as well.
As for Guyana Warriors, they were decent in the group stages, and were the fourth team to qualify for the playoffs.
However, Luke Ronchi's brilliance with the bat in the eliminator did the trick for Guyana, beating Jamaica Tallawahs by five wickets to set up an important date with Knight Riders.
This second qualifier has all the ingredients of a close encounter, especially with the second finalist's spot on the offing for both teams.
On paper, Knight Riders look a strong team to beat Guyana Warriors. But shorter the format, higher the uncertainty. Matches tend to change in a matter of few balls and even one player can take the game away from the opposition.
When does the match start and how to watch it live
The Qualifier 2 between the Knight Riders and the Warriors will start at 8 pm local time, 12 am GMT, 5:30 am IST.
Live streaming and TV coverage information
India: TV: Sony Six, Sony ESPN. Live streaming: Sony Liv
United States: TV: Willow TV
Afghanistan: TV: Sony Six. Live streaming: Sony Liv
UK: BT Sport. Live streaming: BT Sport online
Australia: TV: Fox Sports Live streaming: Foxtel Go
Bangladesh: TV: Sony Six. Live streaming: Sony Liv
Pakistan: Live streaming: Facebook
Middle East: TV: OSN. Live streaming: OSN Play
Sri Lanka: TV: Sony Six
St. Lucia: TV: HTS
Trinidad: TV: CNC-3
Knight Riders have some genuine match-winners in their squad including Sunil Narine. Besides the West Indian, Colin Munro, Bravo brothers (Darren and Dwayne), Shabad Khan and Daniel Christian will be eager to perform and help their team reach the finals of the competition.
The Knight Riders are aiming to win their second CPL 2017 title, but they have to first beat Guyana on Thursday. The Guyana Warriors, on the other hand, have never won the title, despite reaching the final three times.
Guyana Warriors, unlike Knight Riders, may not have big names, but they are a team defined by character, and will not give up until the last ball. Some players like Sohail Tanvir, Rashid Khan, Ronchi and Chadwick Walton need to shoulder responsibility if they are to show the exit doors to the favourites on Thursday.
