CPL awaits new champions as Kingsmen and Falcons look to make history

For only the third time in CPL history, a final will be played without Trinbago Knight Riders or their fiercest rivals, Guyana Amazon Warriors, participating. After Nicholas Pooran's TKR crashed out even before the playoffs, Imran Tahir's Guyana Amazon Warriors were firm favourites to go back-to-back, having also clinched the GSL title last month.

But this has turned out to be the season of surprises, with Jamaica Kingsmen and Antigua & Barbuda Falcons, the CPL's two newest teams making the final at the expense of the traditional powerhouses.

Kingsmen managed only four wins in ten group-stage games, beating the two bottom-placed teams (TKR and St Kitts & Nevis Patriots) twice, and they somehow entered the playoffs, which featured three other teams they had not beaten earlier this season. They suddenly caught fire in the knockouts, beating Barbados Tridents in the Eliminator and then Amazon Warriors in Qualifier 2. Now only Moeen Ali's Falcons stand between Kingsmen and a maiden CPL title.

Like Kingsmen, Falcons are also hunting for their first CPL title after finding themselves in the final for the first time. After jetting off to the Caribbean from the Hundred, Moeen hasn't scored heaps of runs, but has brought the team together, showing that at 39, he can still add value to franchises as a leader.

Form guide

Antigua & Barbuda Falcons WWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Jamaica Kingsmen WWLLW

In the spotlight: Shadab Khan and Hunain Shah

In a season that has seen a huge Pakistani contingent, Shadab Khan has led the way - both with ball and bat. He is the second-most valuable Player in CPL 2026, with Total Impact Points of 478.94; only Sunil Narine has chalked up more points. At one point, Shadab only had partial availability for the CPL because of his ETPL commitments, but after he ran into visa issues for Europe, he committed fully to Falcons and it has worked out wonderfully well for them.

Hunain Shah, the brother of Naseem, has fronted up to bowl the difficult overs for Kingsmen in what was a difficult league phase for them. He has been especially potent in the death overs, claiming a chat-topping eight wickets between overs 16 and 20 in this season. His lethal yorker has accounted for five of those wickets.

There's no reason for both sides to tinker with their combinations unless there are injuries or illness.

Antigua & Barbuda Falcons: 1 Rakheem Cornwall, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Amir Jangoo (wk), 4 Hasan Nawaz, 5 Moeen Ali (capt), 6 Shadab Khan, 7 Fabian Allen, 8 Joshua James, 9 Shamar Springer, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Sufyan Moqim

Jamaica Kingsmen: 1 Maaz Sadaqat, 2 Kirk McKenzie, 3 Keacy Carty, 4 Saim Ayub, 5 Rovman Powell (capt), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Hassan Khan, 8 Romaine Morris (wk), 9 Keemo Paul, 10 Vitel Lawes, 11 Hunain Shah

Pitch and conditions

It remains to be seen whether a fresh pitch will be rolled out for the CPL final at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. There's a forecast for some rain in Bridgetown on the day of the final.

Quotes

"Joshua James [is] probably not the quickest, but I think for me he's been one of the best bowlers in the tournament. He's a captain's dream, comes and nails his skills every time. Reliable and great to have in your team."
Falcons captain Moeen Ali on the development of Joshua James

"We just wanted to squeeze into the playoffs because we know once you get a Jamaica team into the playoffs, they're dangerous."
Kingsmen captain Rovman Powell sounds out a warning