Guyana, Sep 16 As the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) gear up for their Eliminator clash against the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in the Caribbean Premier League 2025, skipper Nicholas Pooran urged his team to have the confidence to overcome any challenge in their pursuit of glory.
“For us, we believe if we have to be successful, we have to beat everyone,” Pooran said. “Playoffs are a different type of cricket, a different type of pressure, and we are accustomed to that. So, we're looking forward to the next couple of days, but as a group, we know we have our work cut out for us.”
Heading into the playoffs, Trinbago Knight Riders went on a five-match unbeaten streak before losing three games on the trot. Reflecting on his team’s performance so far, Pooran stated, “For us, it has been two different tournaments. When we batted first, it was quite tricky, and we've been losing wickets in the powerplay; that's something we want to get better at. But when we batted second, we've won games quite convincingly.”
“This is just something for us to continue to fight, continue to win those periods, because I still believe that even though we're batting first in tricky conditions, we're still giving ourselves chances,” he added.
The TKR skipper remains confident in his team’s ability and backs their fighting spirit. “Coming into the playoffs, even if we have to bat first or conditions are tricky, we as a group need to dig deep and fight to get something and have a chance in the game. We trust our bowlers to get the job done.”
Reflecting on the unique challenge of playing against the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in Guyana, Pooran acknowledged, “Coming here to Guyana has not been easy for us over the last couple of years. If you know the surface over here, it's a bit tricky – both in the first and second innings. The Falcons have been a team that has challenged us in the past, and they like these conditions.”
“So, for me, it's based on the day. We're not going to allow the toss to have an impact on the game. It's a playoff game, and that's when individuals need to step up and make it count,” Pooran reckoned.
Sharing an honest insight on his title aspirations in his debut season as captain, Pooran insisted, “Winning the title would be perfect, but I know at this moment we can't think about winning the title. Our focus is on this game, and we take it from there. There are certain things we can control and certain things we can't. What we can control is our emotions, and that's what we need going into these playoff games.”
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