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Four-time Caribbean Premier League (CPL) champs Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) were treated to a frenetic, Carnival-like atmosphere when they were welcomed home by energetic supporters at the Piarco International Airport, on August 24.
Fresh from an 18-run win against reigning champs St Lucia Kings at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, St Lucia the previous night, the Nicholas Pooran-led team were greeted by a sea of red with moko jumbies and a tassa group adding to the Piarco hype.
Starting with a match against current table-toppers Antigua and Barbuda Falcons on August 27, TKR will play five home matches at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA), Tarouba as they aim to improve on their third-place ranking and book a spot in the playoffs.
Fans of all ages eagerly waited for their TKR heroes in the lobby area, and just after 2 pm the scene became quite electric as the partisan supporters got to see some of their favourite stars such as Pooran, Colin Munro, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, new coach Dwayne Bravo, Pakistan mystery spinner Usman Tariq and former skipper Kieron Pollard, who played a game-turning knock of 65 against the Kings.
Long-standing TKR manager Colin Borde said some of the newcomers were overwhelmed by the reception and now feel re-energised to go and produce for the TT public.
"We're home and with this reception here, that gives us the extra impetus to keep going, man. This is beautiful. This is proper TT vibes," Borde told Newsday.
"For the players who are coming in for the first time, they are stunned. They knew there would be a reception, but nothing quite like this here. They were tired coming in today, but they are all upbeat now...they had a good time coming in and that's good. It means they are ready to go."
After playing the Falcons, TKR will meet the struggling Barbados Royals on August 29 before playing Guyana Amazon Warriors on August 30 in a rivalry which has grown with great intensity each passing season. TKR's last two home matches will be against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots (September 1) and the Kings (September 3) and they will be keen to have a strong home leg, before finishing the preliminary round on the road against the Warriors (September 6) and the Royals (September 12).
Borde stressed on the importance of making home advantage count.
"We would like to go five for five, but we also know it's cricket and anything can happen in sport. It's just to stay focused. As much as we have all the entertainment and the support, we have to play a game of cricket. The players are professionals, so they will manage that. If we get five wins, we'd take it. More importantly, we want to be playing good cricket and see how many points we can accumulate – because it's about accumulation now and getting the team ready."
Though they will be giving their utmost before their home fans, Borde understands it will not be an easy road.
"The teams are stronger each year. And of course if you watched the game last night (August 23), it was a hard-fought game. But that's good. It means we have to step up and keep up. Now, we have five games at home and we'll try to maximise that and build points. Obviously, the first objective is to qualify for the playoffs and we'll take it from there."
Borde said allrounder Terrance Hinds sustained a "slight strain" in the team's first game against the Patriots on August 17, but expects him and others to be niggle-free once the CPL action shifts to Tarouba.
With two victories to show from their first three games, TKR are ready to play cricket louder on home soil as they continue their quest for an unprecedented fifth title.

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