Trinbago Knight Riders got off the mark on Sunday with a confidence-boosting, six-wicket victory over St Kitts and Nevis Patriots at Warner Park, St Kitts.
It was TKR's first win in three matches, following a no-result and 54-run defeat.
But a slow over rate had TKR captain Kieron Pollard seeing red as the new CPL rule saw the former champs lose a player and only allowed two fielders outside the circle in the 20th over.
Newly installed Patriots captain, Sherfane Rutherford, capitalised with 18 runs off Dwayne Bravo who was playing his 100th CPL match. Rutherford was sensational with 62 not out off 38 balls (four fours, five sixes) to push his team to 178 for five.
However, TKR's Nicholas Pooran countered with an equally destructive 61 from 32 balls (five fours, four sixes) to tilt the match in his team's favour.
Pollard then eased all fears with a merciless assault on 19-year-old Afghanistan leg-spinner Izharulhaq Naveed who was hit for four sixes in the 15th over that effectively ended the contest.
St Kitts and Nevis started brightly courtesy an electric cameo from Grenadian opener Andre Fletcher. The Spice Man whacked pacer Jayden Seales for a four and a six in the second over, before tearing apart left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein in the third over.
Fletcher combined power with precision to take 20 runs off that over with two fours and two sixes.
However, the introduction of wily veteran Bravo in the fifth over completely halted the Patriots' momentum. The 39 year old, playing against the team he led to the 2021 CPL title, outfoxed Evin Lewis with a slower ball and had him caught by Hosein for a run-a-ball ten.
The former TKR and West Indies captain was not done yet and bowled out the dangerous Fletcher for a quick-fire 32 off 17 balls. Bravo saw Fletcher advancing as he approached the crease and sent down another slower ball which crashed into his stumps.
The wickets slowed the Patriots considerably and Narine made further inroads with the dismissal of his compatriot Joshua Da Silva (18 off 14 balls) as St Kitts slipped to 74 for three at the halfway stage. The wicketkeeper/batsman tried to be positive but saw his stumps disturbed while trying to attack the mystery spinner.
Narine then sent Jyd Goolie back to the pavilion taking the edge of the left-hander's bat for Bravo to pouch a sharp chance at slip.
Guyanese batsman Rutherford almost became Bravo's third victim when he was enticed by a wide Bravo delivery and struck it to Chadwick Walton on the cover boundary, but the Jamaican spilled the catch for six.
The dismissal proved costly as Rutherford and South African Corbin Bosch put on 66 runs for the fifth wicket to steer Patriots to a good total.
Bosch shifted gears for Patriots, waiting patiently on another slower ball from Bravo to deposit it over mid-wicket for six, and closing the over with a reverse-sweep for four.
Rutherford took cue from his partner and grabbed 14 off pacer Ali Khan in the 17th over, including a stylish drive through point for four.
With a penalty (only f
