St Lucia Kings 2026 CPL Preview
- Aug 2
- 2 min read
By Machel St Patrick Hewitt
2025 Review:
Position: 1st (2nd Playoff)
Top run-scorer: Tim Seifert 396 runs
Top wicket-taker: Tabraiz Shamsi 17 wickets
It is anyone’s guess as to how St Lucia Kings will fare in this year’s CPL.
The squad is much changed from last season – in total 11 players have left and been replaced which raises questions about squad synergy.
The quality of incomings are not in doubt, but how quickly they can gel into a title winning outfit is questionable.
St Lucia Kings 2026 CPL Preview: Fantasy Cricket Banker, Wildcard & Young Gun
The Kings will be led by West Indies Test Captain Roston Chase so will not lack of leadership experience.
Overall the newly arrived local drafted talent has an inexperienced look to them which may well affect them should they need to turn to their bench strength at any stage.
However the overseas spin duo of Theekshana and Ahmad are wily additions who should have a fun time on Caribbean wickets.
Daren Sammy has always been able to mould a squad where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and he will have to be at his best to do that again this year.
Banker: Roston Chase ALR | £8.2M
Chase can do everything in T20 cricket. Bat, bowl and field he is able to impact the game in all facets.
Last season he struck his runs at a 144 SR while taking 11 wickets at a economy of 7.5
A wily off spinner in this format of the game Chase has a habit of breaking partnerships and taking wickets at critical moments.
It is also likely he bats in the top five so will get his fair share of opportunities to bat.
In a team where so much upheaval has taken place Chase will be one of the guaranteed starters and contributors.
Wildcard: Ackeem Auguste BAT | £7.0M
Daren Sammy trusts him at international and CPL level. For two seasons now he has been an ever present for the Saint Lucia Kings but flies under the radar due to not being a huge name brand in cricket.
His international exposure over the last year will only help elevate his game and it is a fair deduction to make that the Kings may well reap the rewards of this in CPL.
Trusted to bat three or four he will get a lot of time at the crease.
Young Gun: Jewel Andrew WKT | £7.1m
Of the newly drafted local players the brightest star is Jewel Andrew.
Still only 19 years old the Antiguan has two CPL seasons behind him batting at a SR of 112. Such is his natural ability, that a 112 SR feels like an underachievement in spite of his age and lack of overall experience.
It is possible that given Sammy is West Indies head coach and Jewel has been identified as one for the future that he wants a closer eye over his development.
Jewel has natural hand/eye co-ordination – assuming he will be the most likely of newly drafted local players to play he may be a shrewd fantasy acquisition
Potential Starting XI:
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