Barbados Royals Cricket Team Guide
Participating in the Caribbean Premier League since its inception, the Barbados Royals are the franchise cricket team that represents the island of Barbados. The team is based in the country’s capital Bridgetown and has been one of the league’s most competitive sides since the competition’s inception.
Barbados Royals Cricket Team Background
Founded back in 2013 as one of the first six entrants into the CPL, the Barbados Royals were originally known as the Barbados Tridents before having its name officially changed in 2021. The team actually had Hollywood actor Mark Walbherg as one of its main investors after being formed and they have made their standout pink and blue kits iconic over the seasons.
Where Do The Barbados Royals Play?
The home ground of the Barbados Royals is the Kensington Oval, with this having a capacity of up to 28,000. The ground is one of the most historic in the nation, with it built all the way back in 1871. Over the years, it has hosted a wide number of international matches, most regularly for the West Indies cricket team.
Barbados Royals Players
When it comes to players hailing from the West Indies region, the Barbados Royals have had its fair share of big name stars, with some of the most notable including all rounder Dwayne Smith, journeyman Kieron Pollard, bowling star Jason Holder and the experienced Ravi Rampaul.
The Barbados Royals have also had a select number of big name overseas stars too, with some of these being Pakistan national cricket team player Shoaib Malik, Sri Lanka national cricket team batter Dilshan Munaweera, New Zealand wicketkeeper Glenn Phillips and South African AB de Villiers.
Memorable Games For The Barbados Royals Cricket Team
Following an impressive 6 wins from 9 games in the league stage, the Barbados Royals progressed to the final of the 2014 Caribbean Premier League. In this they would play the Guyana Amazon Warriors, with the Barbados side stepping up to the crease first. Despite 3 wickets being taken by Krishmar Santokie, Dwayne Smith managed to score 59 runs to help his side to a 152/6 scoreline. When it came to the Barbados Royals turn to bowl, they managed to defend impressively, taking an economic approach to limit the Guyana batters to low totals. In strategic fashion, the Barbados Royals saw out the game, claiming their first ever CPL title.
The 2019 edition of the CPL was just as memorable for the Barbados Royals, finishing second in the league standings behind the Guyana Amazon warriors who went flawless picking up 10 wins from 10. Facing them in a qualifier, they would lose by 30 runs being knocked down to the second qualifier match against the Trinbago Knight Riders. In this, consistent batters saw the Barbados side put up a 160/6 total, defending this impressively when bowling, winning by 12 runs.
In the final, a rematch against the Guyana Amazon Warriors would be on the cards, however, the fortunes for the Barbados Royals would be completely different. After Jonathan Carter scored 50 runs not out, the Royals finished with a 171 run target for their opposition to beat. However, thanks to 4 wickets coming from Raymon Reifer, the Guyan side was stumped in their efforts, falling short by 27 runs to give the Barbados team their second CPL championship.
Rivals Of The Barbados Royals Cricket Team
Due to the league only having 6 teams participating in it, rivalries quickly formed between the involved sides. As well as the teams we have already mentioned, the Barbados Royals have had a number of highly contentious matches against the St Lucia Kings and Jamaica Tallawahs over the seasons.
