CPL 2021: Barbados Royals SWOT Analysis

The 2018 champions, Barbados Royals (formerly known as Barbados Tridents) begin their Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2021 campaign against hosts St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. One of the biggest names from last year who will not be there this year is Rashid Khan. New faces for Barbados this year include Thisara Perera, Glenn Phillips, Azam Khan and Mohammad Amir.

The ninth edition of the CPL begins on 26 August. Like last season, all games are scheduled to happen at a single venue, the Warner Park in St Kitts and Nevis. As we near the start of the tournament, let's take a look at the Barbados Royals team based on their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats:

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Barbados Royals Squad

Jason Holder (c), Johnson Charles, Shai Hope, Kyle Mayers, Oshane Thomas, Mohammad Amir, Jayden Walsh Jr, Azam Khan, Thisara Perera, Glenn Phillips, Ashley Nurse, Jake Lintott, Raymon Reifer, Nyeem Young, Justin Greaves, Joshua Bishop, Smit Patel.

Strengths

The Barbados Royals, much like last season, have a lot of multi-dimensional players. The likes of Holder, Nurse, Walsh, Perera, Young and Mayers are more than decent in both departments of the game, and that gives Barbados a very balanced look. They have a squad, which, if used wisely, could produce about 12 overs from their top seven, and the batting depth could extend to almost number ten.

The bowling looks formidable, with enough experience to tackle every opposition. The new-ball attack comprising Holder, Thomas and Amir should be a tough ask for opposition batsmen. There's enough variety in the spin department, and some of them, including Walsh and Lintott, are coming in with very good form.

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Weaknesses

Barbados' death bowling seems to one of the weakest in the tournament. None of their pacers have good numbers at the death, which could hurt them in crunch situations. Though the new ball and middle-over attacks are terrific, some teams might look to build a platform, accumulate and wait to unleash against Barbados in the death overs.

The batting looks good on paper, but might turn out to be a major weakness. Shai Hope has not had a great T20 career, so he will need to provide a good start in the powerplays. Also, they do not have many reliable alternatives either.

The likes of Mayers and Azam Khan need to up their games, and be a bit more consistent than they usually are. Perera is a hit-or-miss kind of player, so they will hope he hits more often than he misses.

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Opportunities

Kyle Mayers was one of the best performers for the Royals last season and will be looking to carry on from where he left of. Both with the bat and the ball, he contributed in crucial positions. A stellar show here might open the door for him for the T20 World Cup and also the upcoming IPL mega-auction.

Captain Jason Holder will be eager to make it back to the West Indies XI with a good show here. A bit of improvement in death bowling and some consistency with the bat is all he needs. If he manages to bat well against the spinners in the middle overs, he could earn a spot in the XI at the T20 World Cup.

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Threats

With so many all-rounders who provide great depth to the squad, getting the combination right for the playing XI could be tricky. Using each player in a way that gets the best out of them would be key in a tournament like this, considering how they fared in this tournament last year.

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Probable Playing XI

Johnson Charles, Shai Hope (wk), Glenn Phillips, Kyle Mayers, Azam Khan, Jason Holder, Hayden Walsh Jr, Raymon Reifer, Ashley Nurse, Mohammed Amir, Oshane Thomas.