Powell hails ‘12th man’ for standing by Kingsmen

The wait for a win is finally over for the Jamaica Kingsmen and their passionate fans.

After a difficult start to the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2026 T20 cricket campaign, the Kingsmen registered their first victory, a resounding five-wicket triumph over defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders, at Sabina Park on Saturday night.

The Jamaica franchise’s skipper made a special point to thank the Sabina Park faithful, whose unwavering support has been a constant source of strength through the team’s struggles.

“We always believe in the fans, the 12th man. You know, when the game comes down to the wire, how important they are and how their support is. Credit has to be given to them,” noted Powell.

“You can see they were cricket thirsty, and they came out and supported us for the first three games. I wholeheartedly tell them thanks for that. But we’re not done. We still have one more game to go.”

Jamaica Kingsmen chased down 183 with eight balls to spare, marking the highest successful run chase at Sabina Park in CPL history.

A blistering 69 off just 25 balls from opener Kirk McKenzie set the tone, dismantling the Knight Riders’ bowling attack and putting the home side firmly in control.

Although there were a few stutters in the middle order, the cool-headed duo of Powell, 29 off 22, and the explosive Andre Russell, 27 off 15, ensured there were no late jitters as they guided the team home.

For the Kingsmen, victory was a testament to the team’s resilience. They had lost their first three matches, and pressure was mounting.

BELIEF

Powell revealed that the team’s belief never wavered, even when they were staring down the barrel.

“It would be good if we could come up with another two points there. It would help us a lot going on the road,” he said of their upcoming clash.

“But, having said that, a lot of credit has to be given to the coaching staff. When we were 3-0 down, they didn’t go into their different corners and bicker. They stuck together,” Powell admitted.

He says a team-bonding session ahead of the contest may have provided the answer.

Pointing to Friday, he said, “it was a nice day together”.

“No training. We spent some time together and saw if we could understand each other.”

While victory has provided a massive boost, the Jamaica Kingsmen still have work to climb the CPL points table.

They sit at the bottom of the seven-team ladder with two points and a net run rate of -0.596.

Barbados Tridents lead with four points from two matches (+03.68 NNR), followed by St Lucia Kings (four points from four matches, -0.317), Guyana Amazon Warriors (two points from one match, +2.479), Trinbago Knight Riders (two points from two matches, +0.222), St Kitts and Nevis Patriots (two points from two matches, -0.043), and Antigua and Barbuda Falcons (two points from three matches, -0.184).

TOP PERFORMERS

Despite the slow start, the team’s top performers have been shining individually.

Powell is currently the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 138 runs from four innings, while Andre Russell jointly leads the wickets charts with seven.

There is no time to rest for the Kingsmen. They will be back in action on Tuesday when they face the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots at Sabina Park.