Andre Fletcher Hands Patriots Their First Win in the Caribbean Premier League 2026

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots finally have their first win of the Caribbean Premier League 2026 season, and they earned it by understanding exactly what the chase required.

Andre Fletcher stayed unbeaten on 48 from 41 balls, Kyle Mayers launched 32 from just 16, and the Patriots chased down St Lucia Kings’ 155 for eight with 14 balls to spare at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet.

The five-wicket victory was built on two very different phases. First, Saurabh Netravalkar and Jason Holder combined for six wickets to prevent St Lucia from turning a promising middle-overs position into the 180-plus total captain Roston Chase believed was available. Then Johnson Charles and Mayers attacked from the start of the chase, giving Fletcher the freedom to control the rest.

The result moved the Patriots to one win and one defeat after their rain-affected opening loss to Trinbago Knight Riders, while St Lucia slipped to 1-1 after beginning their campaign with a four-run victory over Antigua and Barbuda Falcons.

Fans can follow every match through The Sports Encounter’s dedicated CPL 2026 hub and our broader cricket coverage.

TL;DR

• St Kitts and Nevis Patriots defeated St Lucia Kings by five wickets in CPL 2026 Match 5.
• St Lucia made 155 for eight after recovering from 12 for two through Jewel Andrew’s 58 and Kamil Pooran’s 54.
• Netravalkar and Holder took three wickets each, with Holder conceding only 20 runs from four overs.
• Johnson Charles smashed 16 from five balls and Kyle Mayers hit 32 from 16 as the Patriots raced to 59 for two in the powerplay.
• Andre Fletcher anchored the chase with an unbeaten 48 from 41 deliveries.
• Wanindu Hasaranga finished the match with a six as the Patriots reached 156 for five in 17.4 overs.
• The victory gave the Patriots their first win of CPL 2026 after losing their opener to Trinbago Knight Riders.

Netravalkar Strikes Twice Before St Lucia’s Young Batters Take Over

St Lucia chose to bat first and immediately ran into trouble.

Saurabh Netravalkar removed Andries Gous for four in the opening over and then dismissed Ackeem Auguste for a duck in his second spell with the new ball. The Kings were 12 for two after 2.3 overs, and the Patriots had exactly the start Holder wanted.

That early position made the response from Kamil Pooran and Jewel Andrew particularly impressive.

The pair rebuilt aggressively rather than retreating. Their third-wicket stand pushed St Lucia from 12 for two to 94 before Pooran was run out at the end of the 11th over.

Pooran’s 54 came from only 30 deliveries and contained seven fours and three sixes. He reached his half-century from 28 balls and repeatedly punished anything short or overpitched.

Andrew played a slightly different role. He absorbed more deliveries but still found the boundary often enough to keep St Lucia moving, eventually making 58 from 42 balls with two fours and four sixes.

At 82 for two after 10 overs, St Lucia appeared well placed to build toward a total closer to the 180 or 190 Chase later said the team had targeted.

That possibility disappeared quickly.

Holder and Netravalkar Turn 133 for Three Into 141 for Eight

The decisive period of the first innings arrived after Charith Asalanka helped St Lucia move to 133 for three.

Holder removed Asalanka for 14, then bowled Andrew four balls later. Netravalkar followed by dismissing Matthew Forde for two, and Holder struck again to remove Shadley van Schalkwyk.

Obed McCoy then had McKenny Clarke caught behind.

St Lucia had collapsed from 133 for three to 141 for eight in just over three overs.

Holder finished with outstanding figures of three for 20 from four overs, delivering 16 dot balls and conceding only five runs per over. Netravalkar took three for 32, continuing an impressive short-term spell with the Patriots that Holder specifically highlighted after the match.

The captain said Netravalkar had been “outstanding” and explained that he had personally pushed for the left-arm seamer to join the squad for the three matches he was available.

The late squeeze mattered because the Kings had already shown how dangerous they could be with the bat in their four-run victory over Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in Match 3. In that game, Gous scored 82 and St Lucia reached 187 for eight.

This time, they managed only 22 runs from the final 4.5 overs after Asalanka’s dismissal.

Chase later admitted his side had left roughly 30 to 35 runs on the field.

Charles and Mayers Refuse to Let the Chase Become Complicated

The Patriots had been bowled into submission by Sunil Narine and Trinbago Knight Riders in their opening match, scoring only 109 for nine before losing by 19 runs under the DLS method. That defeat is covered in our CPL 2026 Match 2 report.

Against St Lucia, there was no sign of the same caution.

Johnson Charles attacked immediately.

He scored 16 from five balls at a strike rate of 320, including two sixes, before Matthew Forde bowled him in the second over.

Kyle Mayers then took over.

Forde suffered badly in his second over as Mayers launched three sixes and two fours during a brutal counterattack. The left-hander reached 32 from only 16 deliveries before Maheesh Theekshana had him caught at deep midwicket.

By then, the damage had already been done.

The Patriots reached 50 after only four overs and finished the powerplay at 59 for two. Chasing 156, they had reduced the required rate to a level where the middle order no longer needed to manufacture boundaries every over.

Holder later described that early acceleration as crucial because it kept his team ahead of the required rate throughout the chase.

Fletcher Changes Roles and Controls the Middle Overs

Andre Fletcher’s innings was not spectacular in the conventional T20 sense.

It was more useful than that.

Once Charles and Mayers had done the damage, Fletcher recognized that the Patriots no longer needed reckless batting. He rotated the strike, chose his attacking moments carefully and allowed others to play around him.

Kevin Wickham added 19 from 20 balls during a 45-run partnership before Theekshana struck again.

Holder made 10, while Dasun Shanaka contributed 12 from nine. Their dismissals briefly gave St Lucia a route back into the contest as the Patriots moved from 97 for three to 137 for five.

Fletcher never lost control.

He finished unbeaten on 48 from 41 balls, with three fours and a six, after also taking two catches earlier in the match.

That composed approach earned him Player of the Match.

Fletcher explained afterward that the original plan had been to attack hard in the powerplay. Once Charles departed and later Mayers fell, his role changed.

He decided to bat deep, rotate strike and make sure the chase did not drift away from the Patriots.

Hasaranga Finishes It With Authority

Wanindu Hasaranga joined Fletcher with 19 runs still required and kept the chase moving.

The finishing blow came from the fourth ball of the 18th over.

Forde went short and down the leg side. Hasaranga used the pace, helped the ball over the wicketkeeper and watched it clear the boundary for six.

The Patriots reached 156 for five in 17.4 overs.

Fletcher celebrated with a rare burst of emotion after spending most of the chase remarkably calm.

St Lucia’s spinners had done their best to make the middle overs competitive. Theekshana took two for 22 from four overs, Joshua Bishop conceded only 25 while claiming Shanaka, and Chase finished with one for 32.

Forde, however, endured a difficult night. His 2.4 overs cost 47 runs, including much of the early assault from Charles and Mayers.

The Real Turning Point Came Before the Chase

Fletcher’s unbeaten innings will understandably dominate the result, but the Patriots probably won the match during St Lucia’s final five overs.

The Kings had reached 133 for three with almost five overs remaining.

A total around 180 was still realistic.

Instead, Holder, Netravalkar and McCoy took five wickets while allowing only 22 more runs.

That changed the chase entirely.

St Lucia’s captain recognized the same issue afterward, saying 180 or 190 had been the original target and that his team finished approximately 30 to 35 runs short.

Once the Patriots scored 59 during the powerplay, the required rate never became a serious problem.

The match offered a sharp contrast with the previous CPL fixture, when Barbados Tridents survived Andre Russell’s astonishing assault to beat Jamaica Kingsmen by five runs. That contest became a frantic finish because Jamaica remained within striking distance.

Here, the Patriots made sure the chase rarely reached that stage.

Holder Gets the Response He Needed

For Jason Holder, the result was less about perfection and more about preventing an 0-2 start.

He praised the bowling attack, Fletcher’s composure and the aggressive opening approach, while also admitting the Patriots had been sloppy in the field and could improve their energy.

His own contribution was significant.

Holder’s three for 20 was the most economical spell of the match, and ESPNcricinfo rated him as its match MVP despite Fletcher taking the official Player of the Match award.

The Patriots now have two points and some breathing room before moving on to Antigua.

That matters after the way their campaign began against TKR.

Across the competition, CPL 2026 has already produced wildly different match types. The opener went to the final delivery as Antigua and Barbuda Falcons edged Jamaica Kingsmen, Match 2 was shaped by rain and Narine, Match 3 went down to a four-run margin, and Match 4 produced Russell’s extraordinary late assault.

Match 5 was different.

The Patriots won by taking control early enough that the final overs never became desperate.

What the Result Means for St Lucia Kings

St Lucia can take encouragement from Andrew and Pooran.

Chase emphasized afterward that his squad is extremely young and praised both batters for responding after the early wickets.

The concern is what happened around them.

After Pooran’s run-out, only Andrew reached double figures among the remaining batters. The Kings’ last six wickets added just 61 runs, and the final five overs produced far less than the platform demanded.

That was a major change from their season-opening win, when their top order and spin attack combined effectively against Antigua.

The loss leaves St Lucia 1-1, but there is little reason for alarm this early in the tournament. The more important question is whether Andrew and Pooran can turn this performance into something sustainable as the competition develops.

Patriots Leave Gros Islet With Something to Build On

Holder summed up the significance simply: one-and-one is considerably better than zero-and-two.

The Patriots still have areas to clean up. Their fielding lacked sharpness, several half-chances went begging, and the middle order gave St Lucia enough wickets to briefly reopen the chase.

But they also showed the balance a good T20 side needs.

Netravalkar attacked with the new ball. Holder controlled the death overs. Charles and Mayers destroyed the required rate early. Fletcher then understood when acceleration was no longer necessary.

That combination delivered the Patriots’ first victory of CPL 2026.

The broader franchise game continues to reward precisely that ability to change roles during an innings. The Sports Encounter recently explored the evolution of modern T20 batting when Jos Buttler became the format’s leading career run-scorer, while the remarkable defensive effort in the Global Super League final showed how quickly T20 assumptions can collapse.

The Patriots did not need anything extraordinary in St Lucia.

They simply read the game better once the important moments arrived.

Official fixtures, results and tournament information are available through the Caribbean Premier League’s official website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won St Lucia Kings vs St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in CPL 2026 Match 5?

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots defeated St Lucia Kings by five wickets at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet.

What was the final score?

St Lucia Kings scored 155 for eight from 20 overs. St Kitts and Nevis Patriots reached 156 for five in 17.4 overs.

Who was Player of the Match?

Andre Fletcher was named Player of the Match after scoring an unbeaten 48 from 41 balls and taking two catches.

Who were the leading scorers for St Lucia Kings?

Jewel Andrew top-scored with 58 from 42 balls, while Kamil Pooran made 54 from 30 deliveries.

Who took the most wickets for the Patriots?

Saurabh Netravalkar and Jason Holder both took three wickets. Netravalkar finished with 3/32, while Holder returned 3/20 from four overs.

How quickly did the Patriots chase 156?

The Patriots completed the chase in 17.4 overs, winning with 14 balls remaining.

How many points did the Patriots earn?

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots collected two points from the victory, while St Lucia Kings received none.

What is the Patriots’ record after two CPL 2026 matches?

The Patriots have one win and one defeat. They lost their opening match to Trinbago Knight Riders before beating St Lucia Kings in Match 5.