The Jamaica Kingsmen will have to do it the hard way if they are to keep their 2026 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) dream alive.

Rovman Powell’s men face Barbados Trident in a crucial play-off clash on Wednesday at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown at 6:00 pm (Jamaica time), up against a team that has already beaten them twice this season, including a painful two-wicket defeat on Saturday.

It sets up a grudge match with everything on the line, and despite the recent setback, Powell says his team has earned the right to be there.

Reflecting on a roller-coaster regular season, Powell was candid in his assessment.

“I think it’s been an up and down season, to be honest. We started off with three massive defeats, but having said that, we found two wins at home,” Powell said.

“Cricket haven’t played in Sabina Park for a long time, so it was good to see our fans come out and support us. After that we had played a few games, we have also had some games that were very, very close. Unfortunately, we came out on the disappointing end. I think the guys deserved to be in the play-offs,” he further added.

That up-and-down run included those two vital home wins against Trinbago Knight Riders and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots that sparked the turnaround. The Kingsmen then went on to lose against St Lucia Kings on the road before wrapping up two wins again against the Knight Riders and the Patriots, but the momentum took a hit when they lost to Guyana Amazon warriors and on Saturday against the Tridents.

Sent in to bat, the Kingsmen were restricted to 150-9 from their 20 overs with Maaz Sadaqat top-scoring with 47 runs from 34 balls.

In reply, Barbados reached 151-8 off the final ball. Shadrack Descarte led the successful run chase with 56 runs from 42 balls but it was Motie who sealed victory. With 17 runs needed off the final over Motie, batting at number nine, struck a boundary, followed by two wides, and a six off Odeon Smith, before taking a quick single off the last delivery.

Powell did not hide his disappointment about going into the play-offs on the back of a loss to the same opponent they now have to face.

“Yeah, obviously it’s disappointing.,” he said. “It’s massively disappointing. You need some momentum. You need that good winning spirit to go into a play-off like this especially when you playing the same team.

“But I haven’t said that, I think it’s a valiant effort. I said that we have messed up a few games and we should have won potentially. That is one of them.”

Maaz Sadaqat of Jamaica Kingsmen hits a six during the Men’s 2026 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League cricket match versus Barbados Tridents at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Saturday. (Photo: CPL T20)

The focus now, he says, is on cleaning up the small mistakes that have cost Jamaica in close contests.

“But looking forward to the play-offs, it’s for us as individuals and as a team to try to minimise those little errors that we make in those games,” Powell said.

The task could not be tougher. Not only has Barbados had Jamaica’s number this season, but every team left in the competition is a team the Kingsmen failed to beat in the regular season.

For Powell, that is not a reason to fear — it is a challenge to embrace.

“Now it’s the business end of the competition. It’s a team that have beaten us two times this season. Unfortunately for us, all the teams that are left in the competition are teams we haven’t beaten all season.

“So as a team we have to go places where we haven’t been all season. So it’s an opportunity for us to rise up against all that odds that is standing in our way,” he declared.

Powell said the team has always operated with clear goals — first make the play-offs, then push for the final, and then win it all. The first objective has been achieved.

“When we sat out, we sat out to get into the play-offs, it was our first aim. And when we get into the play-offs, we see if we can push to the second aim, which is to push to the finals. Then when you get to the finals, you try to get over the line.

“We have achieved our first hurdle, which is to get to the play-offs. It’s now for us to push deeper in the competition. I think the guys already have a beautiful training session yesterday, you know, where we outlined the plans for the next coming games. You know, so hopefully those plans will do us well,” he explained.

And if Jamaica is to pull off an upset in Bridgetown, it will need another collective effort. Powell said that there has been no single hero this season, but rather a group willing to share the load.

“I think, when you look at our campaign, it hasn’t been a campaign where there’s one standout player. It’s been a campaign of bits and pieces where players chip in here, chip in another game or two,” he said.