Faf du Plessis, captain of the Saint Lucia Kings, celebrated in style on Sunday as he lifted the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2024 trophy after his team's victory over the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the final at Providence Stadium. After successfully chasing down a target of 139 runs, Du Plessis recreated the iconic trophy lift made famous by Lionel Messi after Argentina’s 2022 FIFA World Cup win and Indian captain Rohit Sharma following India's T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. Walking toward the podium, Du Plessis raised the trophy in jubilation alongside his teammates.
The Kings faced an early challenge in their chase, struggling at 51 for 4. However, Roston Chase (39 not out) and Aaron Jones (48 not out) combined for an unbeaten 88-run partnership to secure the title in 18.1 overs.
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Chase was named Player of the Match for his all-round performance, which included a crucial wicket along with his impactful batting that turned the game in favor of Saint Lucia.
At the post-match presentation, du Plessis expressed his joy in leading the franchise to its first-ever CPL trophy. “I have always wanted to deliver a trophy for this franchise. It is a difficult place to play the finals and in the last two games, we beat them. I would have liked this a little bit easier but it was a bit of a low-scoring thriller. It was a good total, I felt that we could back up and chasing 138 we had positive discussions in the dressing room. In a way, we were there and there about but they made a comeback with the ball in hand,” he said.
Reflecting on the match, he praised the performance of Chase and Jones. "The way Chase and Jones chased it down was incredible. In a chase, everyone wants to go bang, and we lost wickets. We thought the game was gone and the chat was to not leave the game late."
Du Plessis added that the victory was particularly special for the people of Saint Lucia, who were still celebrating an Olympic gold medal.