The SKYCITY Northern Knights and Barbados Tridents were playing for pride in what turned into an enthralling encounter at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. The Knights made 135-8 in the shortened 19 over innings with Anton Devcich adjusting best to the low, slow surface to score a run-a-ball 47. In reply the Tridents paced their innings well, getting the twelve runs required from the last over with ease to win by six wickets on Duckworth-Lewis, in what may be veteran Scott Styris' final appearance for the Knights.
The Knights lost the toss and were put in by the Tridents in soggy underfoot conditions in a shortened 19 over per side match. Kane Williamson went in the second over getting a leading edge to Ravi Rampaul's slower ball and was comfortably caught by James Franklin. First drop Daniel Flynn joined the aggressive Devcich, who struck seven fours in his innings, with the pair putting on 60 runs for the second wicket before Flynn fell for 21 from 18 in the tenth over.
Devcich was run out by a direct hit attempting a quick single, leaving BJ Watling to continue the charge. He made 29 from 19 before falling to Rampaul, but the middle order was unable to capitalise on the start, with Tim Southee the only man to reach double figures at the end of the innings as the Knights made 135-8 in their 19 overs.
The Tridents made steady progress chasing a Duckworth-Lewis adjusted 138 from 19 overs, and it was the Knights slower bowlers who made inroads on the slow-paced surface. Mitchell Santner removed Dilshan Munaweera in the fifth over before Ish Sodhi took two wickets in three balls in the eighth over to peg the scoring rate back.
The experienced sometime-Firebird James Franklin was a thorn in the Knights side as the Tridents made steady progress. Devcich took a nonchalant throw-over-the-rope catch to Daryl Mitchell to remove Jonathan Carter for 30 in the sixteenth over. Southee and Trent Boult were brought back to finish the job as the match headed to a photo finish, with the Knights trying some innovative leg side lines and fields to upset the Tridents rhythm.
12 were required from the last over, and man-of-the-match Franklin hit the first ball from Southee well over long off for six, then followed with a four three balls later to see the Tridents home by six wickets with two balls remaining.
