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Antigua and Barbuda Falcons Lift Maiden CPL Title as Sufyan Moqim Shreds Jamaica Kingsmen

Sufyan Moqim dismantled Jamaica Kingsmen before Amir Jangoo and Hasan Nawaz completed a record CPL final chase as Antigua and Barbuda Falcons won their first title.

Antigua and Barbuda Falcons celebrate their first CPL championship after beating Jamaica Kingsmen by eight wickets in the 2026 final at Kensington Oval.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, September 21, 2026: Antigua and Barbuda Falcons spent the final weeks of CPL 2026 looking increasingly complete. On the biggest night of the season, they finally put every part of that team together.

Sufyan Moqim ripped through Jamaica Kingsmen with four for 14, Maaz Sadaqat’s magnificent 114 briefly kept the final alive, and Amir Jangoo answered every question about his batting tempo with an unbeaten 57 as the Falcons chased 171 in only 16.4 overs to win by eight wickets at Kensington Oval.

Hasan Nawaz finished unbeaten on 47 and sealed the championship with a six, giving Antigua and Barbuda their first Caribbean Premier League title in the franchise’s third season. Shadab Khan, whose middle-overs control and playoff hat-trick had helped transform the Falcons into finalists, was named Player of the Tournament after finishing with 132 runs and 11 wickets.

The result completed the story anticipated in The Sports Encounter’s detailed CPL 2026 final preview: two franchises without a previous title arrived in Barbados through completely different routes, but only one produced its best all-round performance when the trophy was on the line.

TSE VISUAL BRIEFING

Story at a glance

Antigua and Barbuda Falcons celebrate their first CPL championship after beating Jamaica Kingsmen by eight wickets in the 2026 final at Kensington Oval.
THE BIG PICTURE

CPL 2026 Final at a Glance

Official match information and competition results are available through the Caribbean Premier League Match Center.

How Did Antigua and Barbuda Falcons Win the CPL 2026 Final?

The final turned on two very different passages.

Sufyan Moqim Takes 4/14 and Breaks Jamaica’s Middle Order

Moqim’s final figures tell only part of what made the spell so destructive.

Maaz Sadaqat Scores 114 While Jamaica Collapse Around Him

Sadaqat could hardly have done more.

Where Did Jamaica Lose the Final?

Rovman Powell’s post-match assessment was accurate.

CPL 2026 Final at a Glance

Match Detail Information
Competition Caribbean Premier League 2026 Final
Date September 20, 2026
Venue Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
Toss Antigua and Barbuda Falcons elected to field
Jamaica Kingsmen 170/9 in 20 overs
Antigua and Barbuda Falcons 173/2 in 16.4 overs
Result Falcons won by 8 wickets with 20 balls remaining
Player of the Match Sufyan Moqim, 4/14
Player of the Tournament Shadab Khan, 132 runs and 11 wickets
Top Score Maaz Sadaqat, 114 from 58 balls
Falcons Top Scorer Amir Jangoo, 57 not out from 34 balls
Historical Significance Antigua and Barbuda Falcons won their first CPL championship

Official match information and competition results are available through the Caribbean Premier League Match Center.

How Did Antigua and Barbuda Falcons Win the CPL 2026 Final?

The final turned on two very different passages.

The first came between the 12th and 14th overs of Jamaica’s innings.

The Kingsmen were 110 for two after Sadaqat and Saim Ayub had rebuilt from two early wickets. Sadaqat was already past fifty, Ayub had settled into support and Jamaica appeared positioned for a total comfortably beyond 180.

Then Moqim changed the match.

He dismissed Ayub for 29 and removed captain Rovman Powell for a duck in the same over. Shadab trapped Romaine Morris for another duck. Moqim then removed Hassan Khan first ball in his next over.

Jamaica had fallen from 110 for two to 113 for six in only 11 deliveries.

The second decisive passage came immediately after the interval.

Rahkeem Cornwall attacked Saim Ayub for 20 runs from the opening over, hitting two fours and two sixes before being bowled from the final delivery.

Instead of giving Jamaica encouragement, the wicket left the Falcons with 20 runs already removed from the target.

Evin Lewis, Jangoo and Nawaz never allowed the required rate to become relevant again.

Sufyan Moqim Takes 4/14 and Breaks Jamaica’s Middle Order

Moqim’s final figures tell only part of what made the spell so destructive.

He bowled four overs for 14 runs, delivered 16 dot balls and removed four batters who occupied very different roles in Jamaica’s lineup.

Ayub was the established partner alongside Sadaqat.

Powell was Jamaica’s most dangerous middle-order accelerator.

Hassan Khan offered left-handed power through the middle.

Keemo Paul was one of the remaining players capable of rebuilding around Sadaqat.

Moqim removed all four.

Sufyan Moqim in the CPL Playoffs Figures
Qualifier 1 vs Guyana 4/13
Final vs Jamaica 4/14
Combined 8 wickets for 27 runs in 8 overs

That is an extraordinary return across the two matches that decided Antigua’s season.

Moqim had already taken four wickets when the Falcons demolished Guyana Amazon Warriors for 76 in Qualifier 1, a match in which Shadab Khan completed a hat-trick. The official CPL report on that semifinal documented how the two wrist-spinners combined to send Antigua into its first final.

The pattern had been visible earlier in the tournament as well. TSE examined the Falcons’ ability to attack with several different bowlers when Shadab Khan and Alzarri Joseph dismantled Guyana during the league stage.

Maaz Sadaqat Scores 114 While Jamaica Collapse Around Him

Sadaqat could hardly have done more.

He scored 114 from 58 deliveries, striking eight fours and nine sixes at a strike rate of 196.55.

He reached fifty from 27 balls.

The hundred arrived from 49.

Only one other Jamaica batter passed 29.

Sadaqat therefore contributed more than two-thirds of his side’s runs from the bat while wickets disappeared around him.

The innings continued an extraordinary playoff run. Four days earlier, he had destroyed Barbados Tridents with 112 from 49 balls in the Eliminator. He then struck 41 from 17 in Qualifier 2 against Guyana.

Across those three knockout innings, Sadaqat scored 267 runs.

Maaz Sadaqat in CPL 2026 Playoffs Runs Balls
Eliminator vs Barbados 112 49
Qualifier 2 vs Guyana 41 17
Final vs Antigua 114 58
Total 267 124

That works out to a strike rate above 215 across three knockout matches.

The innings also reinforces why TSE recently profiled Sadaqat’s rapid rise through Pakistani domestic cricket, the PSL and the CPL. His final ended in defeat, but his standing as a young T20 batter changed dramatically during one week in Barbados.

Where Did Jamaica Lose the Final?

Rovman Powell’s post-match assessment was accurate.

Jamaica were in an excellent position at halfway.

They had reached 97 for two after 10 overs, with Sadaqat on 58 and Ayub on 26.

A score of 190 was realistic.

Instead, the middle order disappeared.

Powell made zero.

Morris made zero.

Hassan Khan made one.

Keemo Paul made three.

Andre Russell made two.

Between Sadaqat and the rest of the batting lineup, there was simply too large a gap.

Jamaica lost four wickets in less than two overs after passing 100, and Sadaqat was left trying to rebuild and accelerate at the same time.

The Kingsmen eventually reached 170 largely because he kept finding boundaries until the penultimate delivery of the innings.

Moeen Ali’s Bowling Plan Worked Against Jamaica’s Top Order

One of the more revealing tactical decisions came before the collapse.

Falcons captain Moeen Ali explained after the match that Antigua deliberately wanted pace against Sadaqat early rather than exposing him immediately to off-spin.

That decision shaped the attack.

Jayden Seales dismissed Kirk McKenzie in the opening over.

Alzarri Joseph removed Keacy Carty.

That left Sadaqat and Ayub rebuilding against pace before the two wrist-spinners became central through the middle overs.

The structure had been one of Antigua’s strengths throughout the competition: new-ball pace, attacking wrist-spin through the middle and enough bowling depth to change matchups without panicking.

TSE had already identified that balance after Joshua James helped trigger a four-wicket collapse against Barbados Tridents.

Rahkeem Cornwall Turns the First Over Into a Statement

A target of 171 in a final should have created some pressure.

Cornwall erased much of it in six balls.

Jamaica opened with Ayub’s left-arm spin.

Cornwall responded with two fours and two sixes during a 20-run over.

Ayub eventually bowled him from the final delivery for 20 from six balls, but the damage had already been done.

Instead of beginning the chase at 8.55 runs per over, the Falcons entered the second over needing 151 from 114 deliveries.

The psychological burden had shifted immediately.

Evin Lewis Makes Sure the Falcons Keep Attacking

Cornwall’s dismissal could have given Jamaica a route back.

Lewis closed it.

He struck 38 from 26 deliveries with five fours and two sixes, ensuring the powerplay remained aggressive after Cornwall’s departure.

Antigua reached 76 for one after six overs.

Lewis eventually played Vitel Lawes onto his stumps at 84 for two, but by then the required rate had fallen sharply.

Jamaica needed wickets in clusters.

They never came.

Amir Jangoo Saves His Best Innings for the Final

Jangoo’s innings may be the most satisfying individual story in the chase.

His strike rate had been discussed during the tournament because his role often involved keeping innings moving rather than overwhelming attacks from the first ball.

In the final, he supplied both stability and aggression.

Jangoo finished unbeaten on 57 from 34 balls, with four fours and three sixes.

His fifty came from 30 deliveries.

He first shared 64 runs with Lewis, then added an unbeaten 89 with Hasan Nawaz.

There was no panic after Lewis fell.

Jangoo continued rotating the strike, attacked the overs Jamaica could least afford to lose and kept Nawaz involved in the chase.

By the time the Falcons passed 150 in the 15th over, the final had stopped feeling competitive.

Hasan Nawaz Finishes the Championship With a Six

Nawaz contributed 47 not out from 35 deliveries.

His innings contained three fours and three sixes, but its value came from how smoothly it fitted around Jangoo.

The two batters never allowed Jamaica’s spinners to create the kind of collapse Moqim and Shadab had produced earlier.

Nawaz eventually ended the season himself.

Facing Powell in the 17th over, he launched the winning ball over long-on for six.

The Falcons finished on 173 for two with 20 deliveries unused.

The match commentary identified it as the highest successful chase in CPL final history. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

Why Jamaica’s Bowling Never Recovered From the Powerplay

Jamaica conceded 76 runs in the first six overs.

That left very little margin for the rest of the attack.

Ayub finished with one for 42 from three overs.

Hunain Shah conceded 26 from 2.1 overs before leaving the field injured.

Hassan Khan’s only over cost 14.

Powell was forced into the attack and conceded 23 from nine deliveries, including the winning six.

Keemo Paul, with none for 18 from three overs, and Lawes, one for 32 from four, were Jamaica’s most controlled bowlers.

Two economical spells were never going to compensate for the damage inflicted elsewhere.

Jamaica’s fielding also deteriorated as the chase progressed. Misfields, overthrows and missed chances removed whatever scoreboard pressure remained after the powerplay.

Shadab Khan Completes a Remarkable Tournament With the Top Individual Award

Shadab did not need a spectacular final to define his tournament.

His work had already reshaped Antigua’s season.

He finished CPL 2026 with 132 runs and 11 wickets.

His batting included an unbeaten 52 from only 20 balls against Trinbago Knight Riders, an innings TSE examined in our report on the night Shadab carried the Falcons to the top of the table.

His bowling became even more important later.

In Qualifier 1, Shadab took four for 16 and completed a hat-trick as Guyana collapsed to 76.

In the final, he conceded only 28 from four overs and removed Morris as Jamaica disintegrated through the middle.

Shadab spoke after receiving the award about how important the season had been after surgery and a difficult period in his career. His combination of batting freedom and middle-over control gave Antigua one of the most flexible players in the competition.

TSE had already examined the broader selection implications in our feature on Pakistani players using franchise cricket to force themselves back into national conversations.

Falcons Bookend CPL 2026 by Beating Jamaica Twice

There is symmetry in how Antigua’s championship began and ended.

The Falcons opened CPL 2026 by beating Jamaica from the final ball in Kingstown.

That match was chaotic, narrow and uncertain. Antigua needed two from the last delivery before a fielding error allowed Shamar Springer and Alzarri Joseph to complete the winning runs.

TSE covered that beginning in our report on Tajinder Singh and Alzarri Joseph’s opening-night escape against the Kingsmen.

Six weeks later, the same matchup decided the title.

This time Antigua left nothing to the final ball.

Jamaica Kingsmen’s Debut Season Still Ends With a Major Achievement

The defeat should not erase Jamaica’s remarkable first campaign under the Kingsmen identity.

The CPL formally welcomed the franchise in March, confirming its entry for the 2026 season. The official CPL announcement established Jamaica Kingsmen as a new addition to the tournament rather than a continuation of the old Tallawahs identity.

Jamaica then endured a difficult league phase.

They won only four of 10 games and reached the playoffs through net run rate.

Once there, they became dangerous.

Sadaqat destroyed Barbados in the Eliminator.

The Kingsmen then chased 207 against Guyana after Shimron Hetmyer had scored 102 not out. TSE’s Qualifier 2 analysis had framed that game around whether Jamaica’s emerging batting momentum could survive Guyana’s response to being bowled out for 76.

Jamaica answered emphatically enough to reach a final in their debut season.

They simply met a better team there.

CPL 2026 Final Full Scorecard

Jamaica Kingsmen Batting

Batter Dismissal R B 4s 6s SR
Maaz Sadaqatc James b Springer1145889196.55
Kirk McKenziec Cornwall b Seales04000.00
Keacy Cartyc Shadab Khan b Joseph9810112.50
Saim Ayubc Hasan Nawaz b Sufyan Moqim292221131.81
Rovman Powell (c)c Springer b Sufyan Moqim03000.00
Romaine Morris (wk)lbw b Shadab Khan03000.00
Hassan Khanc Seales b Sufyan Moqim130033.33
Keemo Paulst Jangoo b Sufyan Moqim390033.33
Andre Russellc Shadab Khan b Joseph270028.57
Hunain Shahnot out03000.00
Vitel Lawesnot out01000.00
Extrasb 1, lb 1, nb 1, w 912
Total20 overs170/9

Fall of wickets: 7/1, 30/2, 110/3, 110/4, 112/5, 113/6, 127/7, 159/8, 169/9.

Antigua and Barbuda Falcons Bowling

Bowler O M R W Econ
Jayden Seales201819.00
Alzarri Joseph402726.75
Rahkeem Cornwall3035011.66
Joshua James2036018.00
Shadab Khan402817.00
Sufyan Moqim401443.50
Shamar Springer1010110.00

Antigua and Barbuda Falcons Batting

Batter Dismissal R B 4s 6s SR
Rahkeem Cornwallb Saim Ayub20622333.33
Evin Lewisb Lawes382652146.15
Amir Jangoo (wk)not out573443167.64
Hasan Nawaznot out473533134.28
Extraslb 2, nb 1, w 811
Total16.4 overs173/2

Fall of wickets: 20/1, 84/2.

Jamaica Kingsmen Bowling

Bowler O M R W Econ
Saim Ayub3042114.00
Andre Russell201608.00
Hunain Shah2.1026012.00
Keemo Paul301806.00
Vitel Lawes403218.00
Hassan Khan1014014.00
Rovman Powell1.3023015.33

CPL 2026 Major Awards

Award Winner
Player of the Match, FinalSufyan Moqim
Player of the TournamentShadab Khan
Highest Individual ScoreDasun Shanaka
Highest Run ScorerQuinton de Kock
Best CatchNavin Bidaisee
Biggest SixRovman Powell, 101 metres
Best CelebrationJeremiah Louis

What the CPL Title Means for Antigua and Barbuda

The Falcons’ first championship carries significance beyond another franchise trophy.

Sir Curtly Ambrose spoke after the final about what winning can do for cricket participation in Antigua. Rahkeem Cornwall, Alzarri Joseph, Jahmar Hamilton and others repeatedly returned to the support the franchise had received from home.

Moqim even dedicated his Player of the Match award to Ambrose ahead of the West Indies legend’s birthday.

The Falcons began the season as one of several teams with plausible playoff ambitions.

They finished it as the most complete side in the knockout stage.

Guyana were bowled out for 76 in Qualifier 1.

Jamaica lost seven wickets for 59 runs after reaching 110 for two in the final.

The Falcons then chased both targets while losing only three wickets combined.

That is what championship cricket looked like in Barbados.

KEEP READING

Continue the Cricket Story

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the CPL 2026 final?

Antigua and Barbuda Falcons beat Jamaica Kingsmen by eight wickets to win the 2026 Caribbean Premier League championship.

What was the score in the CPL 2026 final?

Jamaica Kingsmen made 170 for nine from 20 overs. Antigua and Barbuda Falcons reached 173 for two in 16.4 overs.

Who was Player of the Match in the CPL final?

Sufyan Moqim was Player of the Match after taking four wickets for 14 runs from four overs.

Who was Player of the Tournament in CPL 2026?

Shadab Khan received the tournament’s top individual award after scoring 132 runs and taking 11 wickets.

How many runs did Maaz Sadaqat score in the CPL final?

Sadaqat scored 114 from 58 balls, hitting eight fours and nine sixes.

How did Amir Jangoo perform in the CPL final?

Jangoo finished unbeaten on 57 from 34 balls and shared an unbroken 89-run partnership with Hasan Nawaz.

What did Hasan Nawaz score?

Hasan Nawaz made 47 not out from 35 balls and hit the winning six.

Was the Falcons’ chase a CPL final record?

The match commentary identified the successful chase of 171 as the highest successful run chase in CPL final history.

How many wickets did Sufyan Moqim take in the CPL playoffs?

Moqim took eight wickets for 27 runs across Qualifier 1 and the final, returning 4/13 against Guyana and 4/14 against Jamaica.

Was this Jamaica Kingsmen’s first CPL season?

Yes. The Jamaica Kingsmen joined the Caribbean Premier League in 2026 and reached the final in their debut campaign.

STORY TRACKER

Jamaica Kingsmen

  1. Antigua and Barbuda Falcons Lift Maiden CPL Title as Sufyan Moqim Shreds Jamaica Kingsmen
  2. CPL 2026 Final: Kingsmen’s Remarkable Escape Meets Falcons’ Relentless Rise With History One Win Away
  3. Jamaica Kingsmen Edge Guyana Amazon Warriors in a High-Scoring Thriller to Enter CPL 2026 Final
  4. CPL 2026 Qualifier 2: Can Guyana Rise From 76 All Out as Jamaica Ride Maaz Sadaqat’s Surge?
  5. Who’s Maaz Sadaqat? Left-Hand Pakistani Batter Who’s Just Announced His Arrival on the Big Stage
Jeremy Montes | The Sports Encounter

Jeremy Montes

Jeremy Montes is a Chile-based sports writer covering international cricket, soccer, the Olympic Games, and major sporting events across the Americas. His work focuses on match analysis, player performances, tournament developments, team trends, and the wider sporting stories that shape competition beyond the final score. At The Sports Encounter, Jeremy contributes coverage across major leagues, international tournaments, and developing sports stories, with an emphasis on clear reporting, verified context, and reader-focused analysis. His writing combines match detail with historical perspective, statistical context, and the implications that matter to fans. Based in South America, he also brings a regional perspective to global sports coverage while following the major events, athletes, and competitions driving international interest.