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Trinidad and Tobago's Nokia Champions League Twenty20 campaign got off to a good start yesterday as Daren Ganga's men completed a confidence-boosting 66-run win over Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders in a warm-up match, played behind closed doors yesterday, at Hyderabad Sports Club, India.
T&T's Denesh Ramdin led the way with an undefeated 71 off 46 balls, propelling the Caribbean T20 champions to 167 for five after they won the toss and elected to bat.
In reply, Kolkata, who finished fourth in the 2011 IPL season, were restricted to 101 for nine, with spinner Samuel Badree taking three for seven and pacer Rayad Emrit chipping in with two for 22.
Ravi Rampaul was also economical, bowling two overs for three runs.
When Trinidad and Tobago batted, Ramdin led the charge, hitting three sixes and four fours, and was well supported by opener Adrian Barath, who scored 46 off 36 balls (three fours and a six) and Jason Mohammed, who contributed 24.
Badree then put T&T in the driver seat, removing Jacques Kallis (4), Yusuf Pathan (2) and Manvinda Bisla (2) and Kolkata never recovered.
Trinidad and Tobago play their first qualifying match in Pool A against Sri Lanka T20 champions Ruhuna tomorrow from 6:30 a.m. (T&T time) and will face off against England winners Leicestershire Foxes on Tuesday at the same time.
Kolkata were grouped in Pool B along with England T20 runners-up Somerset and New Zealand T20 champions Auckland Acres.
The top team in each pool and the best second place team will qualify for the main tournament which bowls off on September 23.
Summarised scores:
T&T 167/5 (20 overs) (Denesh Ramdin 71 n.o., Adrian Barath 46, Jason Mohammed 24, Kevon Cooper 10 n.o) vs Kolkata Knight Riders 101/9 (Ryan Ten Doeschata 27; Samuel Badree 3/7, Rayad Emrit 2/22)--T&