CPL Draft 2024 - SLK Sign Aaron Jones for CPL 2024
CPL draft 2024 has come to an end and the respective franchises are all set with their squads for CPL 2024. The highlight of the draft was the Saint Lucia Kings signing America's batting hero Aaron Jones for the upcoming season of the league. He qualifies as a local player to join the league with a passport from Barbados. Aaron Jones signing SLK will open more doors for the player for the T20 Cricket leagues.
Aaron Jones made headlines during his performance in the T20 World Cup 2024. On the opening night of the tournament, Jones was on fire and scored 94 off 40 balls at a strike rate of 235. He was also a major contributor for the USA against Pakistan with 36 off 26 balls at a strike rate of 138.46. During the super over, Jones was aggressive and scored 11 off 6 balls at a strike rate of 183.33.
Aaron Jones T20 World Cup 2024 Performance
| Matches | Total Runs | Not Out | Average | Strike Rate | Best | 50 | 4s | 6s | |
| Aaron Jones | 6 | 162 | 2 | 40.5 | 135 | 120 | 1 | 8 | 14 |
Aaron Jones T20 International Stats
| Matches | Total Runs | Not Out | Average | Strike Rate | 50s | 4s | 6s | |
| Aaron Jones | 34 | 580 | 9 | 26.36 | 114.39 | 2 | 33 | 30 |
Saint Lucia Kings is hopeful to come up with a positive result in CPL 2024. The franchise has never won a CPL trophy even after reaching the finals twice. In the previous edition, SLK finished 4th in the point table but was eliminated in the playoffs after facing a defeat in the 1st playoff against Jamaica Tallawahs. Aaron Jones has a good experience of local conditions while playing with Barbados and Combined Campuses and Colleges and that will be an added advantage with the Kings.
Final Squad of Saint Lucia Kings
Saint Lucia Kings were not very active during the CPL draft 2024. They have signed Aaron Jones in the squad which will give a major push to their batting depth in the league. However, the biggest blow for the team will be the exit of Sikandar Raza from the team. He won't be taking part in the upcoming season of the CPL.
The Kings will be under the leadership of former Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis. He will also be responsible for opening the game for the team and his presence will strengthen the top order. With Faf, Aaron Jones and Ackeem Auguste will be expected to be part of the top order as Bhanuka Rajapaksa will join the team at a later stage due to his international commitments.
Heinrich Klaasen will be the player to watch out in the middle order. He has been a master of the T20 format and will be responsible for scoring quick runs from the middle order. Saint Lucia Kings have a good lineup of all-rounders in the team. Roston Chase, Khary Pierre, and Namibia's David Wiese will be part of the all-rounder segment for the Kings. Wiese carries a batting average of 24 in the T20 international cricket and has 59 wickets in 54 matches for Namibia. That makes him a crucial player for the Kings at the lower end.
On the bowling front, Saint Lucia Kings will be dependent on their local star, Alzarri Joseph. In 2024, Alzarri Joseph has picked up 16 wickets in 10 T20 internationals at an economy of 8. Saint Lucia Kings have a major void when it comes to their bowling. After Alzarri Joseph, they have Noor Ahmad - who is an Afghan spinner and West Indies own Matthew Forde. Both bowlers lack experience and hence the team might face trouble in the middle overs.
Overall, Saint Lucia Kings will be dependent on their top-order batting unit and all-rounders to perform as the match-winners. In case their batting lineup fails to do the job, the team might face a nightmare in the league. The Caribbean Premier League is all set to begin on 30th August 2024 and the final fixture will take place on 7th October 2024.
St Lucia Kings Full Squad: Heinrich Klaasen, Faf du Plessis, Alzarri Joseph, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Noor Ahmad, David Wiese, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Matthew Forde, Aaron Jones, Khary Pierre, Khari Campbell, Johann Jeremiah, Shadrack Descarte, Mikkel Govia, McKenny Clarke, Akeem Auguste
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