By the CricInfo365 Cricket Desk | September 17, 2026
Guyana Amazon Warriors face Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in Qualifier 1 GAW vs ABF of CPL 2026 at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, tonight at 8:00 PM local time. Guyana finished top of the table and get two chances to reach the final, while Antigua only get one shot tonight. On paper that makes Guyana the favorites, but they arrive on the back of two straight defeats, including a heavy loss to this exact opponent just nine days ago, which makes this a closer contest than the league table alone suggests.
What Is Actually at Stake in This Qualifier?
CPL’s playoff system rewards the top two teams with a safety net that the bottom two knockout teams do not get. Win tonight, and Guyana go straight to the final on September 20 without playing again until then. Lose, and they are not out of the tournament. Instead they drop into Qualifier 2 on September 18, where they get one more match against the winner of last night’s Eliminator between Barbados Tridents and Jamaica Kingsmen.
Antigua do not have that cushion in the same way, but they are not facing a straight knockout either. A loss tonight sends them into Qualifier 2 as well, so their season also continues either way. What tonight really decides is the harder path versus the easier one. Win, and you rest for three days before the final. Lose, and you have to win a sudden death match on September 18 just to get a second crack at the final. That difference in workload and pressure is the real prize on offer tonight, not simple survival.
When and Where Is GAW vs ABF Being Played?
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | Qualifier 1, CPL 2026 |
| Teams | Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Antigua and Barbuda Falcons |
| Date | Thursday, September 17, 2026 |
| Venue | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados |
| Start time (local) | 8:00 PM |
| Match type | Night match, T20, playoff |
| Winner’s reward | Direct entry to the Final on September 20 |
| Loser’s fate | Plays Qualifier 2 on September 18 |
All four CPL 2026 playoff matches are being staged at Kensington Oval this year rather than splitting across venues, which means both teams are playing on a surface neither has called home all season. [internal link: Kensington Oval venue guide]
What Do the Points Table and Path to the Final Look Like?
Guyana were the most consistent team across the ten match league phase, finishing well clear at the top. Here is how the final standings settled before the knockouts began.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Lost | No Result | Points | Net Run Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guyana Amazon Warriors | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 16 | +0.615 |
| 2 | Antigua and Barbuda Falcons | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 13 | +0.174 |
| 3 | Barbados Tridents | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 12 | -0.125 |
| 4 | Jamaica Kingsmen | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 8 | -0.085 |
Eight wins from ten matches is a genuinely strong league campaign, and it is why Guyana get the safer route through the playoffs. But a league table only tells you what happened over ten matches. It does not tell you who is playing well right now, and that is where tonight’s story gets more complicated. [internal link: full CPL 2026 schedule and points table]
Why Are Guyana Under More Pressure Than the Table Suggests?
This is the part most previews will skip entirely, and it matters more than the final standings do. Guyana closed out their league campaign with back to back defeats, and both were batting collapses rather than close contests. On September 8, at their own home ground in Providence, they were bowled out for just 117 chasing Antigua’s 182 for 5, a defeat by roughly 65 runs against the exact team they face tonight. Five days later, Barbados Tridents rolled them for 99 and chased it down inside 15 overs.
Two totals under 120 in your last two innings is not the form line you want walking into a playoff, no matter how many points you banked earlier in the tournament. Guyana’s top order clearly has the talent to post 180 plus totals, as they have shown across the season, but their most recent evidence points the other way. Antigua, by contrast, are coming off that same win over Guyana and go in with the psychological edge of having already found a way to beat this attack on the biggest stage available.
What Does the Head to Head Record Between GAW and ABF Show?
Across all T20 meetings, Guyana hold the historical edge, but the recent trend has swung toward Antigua.
| Detail | Record |
|---|---|
| Matches played | 6 |
| Won by Guyana Amazon Warriors | 4 |
| Won by Antigua and Barbuda Falcons | 2 |
| First ever meeting | August 30, 2024, won by Guyana |
| Most recent meeting | September 8, 2026, won by Antigua |
That most recent result is the one that matters most for tonight. Antigua chased down Guyana’s total comfortably at Providence, on Guyana’s own ground, which means Guyana’s bowlers have already shown a plan that did not work against this batting lineup within the last two weeks. Whether Guyana’s coaching staff have found an answer since then is one of the genuine unknowns going into this Qualifier. [internal link: GAW vs ABF match report, September 8 2026]
What Are the Probable Playing XIs for GAW vs ABF?
Guyana Amazon Warriors Probable XI
Glenn Phillips, Mavendra Dindyal, Shai Hope (wicketkeeper), Shimron Hetmyer, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Quentin Sampson, Romario Shepherd, Dwaine Pretorius, Ronaldo Alimohamed, Veerasammy Permaul, Imran Tahir (captain).
Guyana’s batting order leans heavily on power through the middle, with Hetmyer and Phillips both capable of clearing the rope from ball one. Their concern is not talent, it is consistency, given how both of their last two totals collapsed well below par.
Antigua and Barbuda Falcons Probable XI
Evin Lewis, Amir Jangoo (wicketkeeper), Karima Gore, Hasan Nawaz, Moeen Ali (captain), Shadab Khan, Fabian Allen, Joshua James, Sufyan Moqim, Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph.
Antigua’s XI is built around control rather than raw power. Moeen Ali and Shadab Khan give them two frontline spin options who can squeeze the middle overs, while Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales provide a genuine new ball threat with pace and swing.
Who Are the Key Players to Watch Tonight?
Guyana’s Difference Makers
Glenn Phillips remains Guyana’s biggest wildcard. When he connects, he can take a game away from the opposition inside four or five overs, but his dismissal has also triggered more than one of Guyana’s recent collapses. Imran Tahir, leading the side as a veteran leg spinner, brings a calming influence with the ball in the middle overs, an asset that becomes more valuable, not less, in a knockout match where nerves tend to creep in.
Antigua’s Difference Makers
Alzarri Joseph gives Antigua the new ball threat capable of rattling Guyana’s top order early, which is exactly the plan that worked nine days ago. Moeen Ali, as both captain and all rounder, tends to make his biggest contributions in the matches that matter most, and his experience of playing knockout cricket across multiple leagues is a real asset for a squad that has not always been associated with deep playoff runs.
What Does the Pitch and Recent Form at Kensington Oval Suggest?
Kensington Oval has generally offered a fair contest between bat and ball this CPL season, with totals in the 150 to 170 range being competitive rather than easy. What stands out from the last four matches played at this ground in September, though, is that the side chasing has won every single time. That includes both of Barbados Tridents’ recent wins here and Guyana’s own defeat to the Tridents on September 13.
If that pattern holds, the toss becomes more important than usual tonight. Expect whichever captain wins it to choose to field first, using the new ball and any early lateral movement before dew sets in and makes the ball harder to grip for the side bowling second.
GAW vs ABF Dream11 Picks: Who Should You Captain Today?
Building a fantasy team for this one comes down to balancing Guyana’s power hitting against Antigua’s control bowling and their recent psychological edge.
- Captain option 1: Glenn Phillips. High ceiling if Guyana’s top order clicks, though his recent form carries real risk given the last two collapses.
- Captain option 2: Alzarri Joseph. A safer captain pick given his new ball threat and Antigua’s momentum from the September 8 win.
- Vice captain pick: Moeen Ali. Contributes with both bat and ball, which gives you two chances at points from a single roster spot.
- Value pick: Karima Gore. Has quietly been one of Antigua’s more consistent top order performers through the back half of the season.
- Differential pick: Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Lower ownership than the bigger overseas names, but capable of useful runs and control with the ball for Guyana in the middle overs.
If you want a deeper breakdown of how Dream11 scoring actually works before you build your team, this is worth a read. [internal link: how Dream11 fantasy scoring works]
What Must Each Team Actually Do to Win Tonight?
Beyond the general form and pitch talk, both sides have specific, concrete things to get right if they want to book the easier route through the playoffs.
For Guyana Amazon Warriors:
- Survive the new ball. Both recent collapses started inside the first six overs, so the top three need to see off Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales without losing more than one wicket in the powerplay.
- Trust the middle order power rather than trying to rebuild slowly. Hetmyer and Phillips are most dangerous when they play their natural game from ball one, not when they are trying to recover from 20 for 3.
- Use Imran Tahir and Veerasammy Permaul as attacking options in the middle overs, not just containment bowlers, since Antigua’s middle order has shown occasional vulnerability against quality spin this season.
For Antigua and Barbuda Falcons:
- Repeat the September 8 blueprint. That win came from disciplined seam bowling early and tight fields through the middle, and there is no reason to change a plan that worked against this exact opponent nine days ago.
- Get runs on the board through Karima Gore and Evin Lewis at the top, since Antigua’s chasing record has been stronger than their record defending totals this season.
- Manage the Moeen Ali and Shadab Khan spin overs carefully around the toss result, bowling them earlier if Antigua bat first and the pitch offers turn before dew arrives.
These are not abstract talking points. Whichever side executes more of its own list tends to be the side walking off with a place in the final, or at least the easier path to one.
Who Wins GAW vs ABF Qualifier 1?
Guyana’s season long numbers say they should win this comfortably. Their recent form says something quite different, and recent form is usually the better guide in a knockout match played under lights in front of a result that actually matters. Antigua arrive with a specific, recent blueprint for beating this exact batting lineup, a captain in Moeen Ali who has a habit of showing up in the biggest games, and a bowling attack built for exactly the conditions Kensington Oval has produced in September.
The prediction here leans toward a tight contest rather than a routine Guyana win, with Antigua and Barbuda Falcons given a genuine, backable chance to close it out and go straight through to the final. If Guyana’s top order rediscovers the form that got them to 16 points in the first place, they should still have enough depth to get over the line. But two collapses in a row is not a pattern you simply ignore heading into a match this important. For context on how the other side of the playoff bracket is shaping up, our full breakdown of the Eliminator between Barbados Tridents and Jamaica Kingsmen is worth a look. [internal link: BT vs JK Eliminator prediction]
Where to Watch GAW vs ABF Live?
| Region | TV Channel | Live Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| India | JioStar, Star Sports | JioHotstar, FanCode |
| Pakistan | Tapmad Sports | Tapmad, CPL YouTube |
| Bangladesh | Tapmad Sports | Tapmad, CPL YouTube |
| USA and Canada | Willow TV | Willow TV app, Sling TV |
| Australia | Fox Cricket | Kayo Sports |
| UK and Ireland | TNT Sports | Discovery Plus |
| South Africa | SuperSport | SuperSport App |
| Rest of the World | Not applicable | CPL YouTube channel, CPL Facebook |
For live scores and ball by ball detail once play starts, ESPNcricinfo and the official CPL website are both reliable places to follow along, and Wisden’s CPL 2026 coverage has useful background on how both squads were built through the season.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where is GAW vs ABF Qualifier 1 being played?
Thursday, September 17, 2026, at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados, with a 8:00 PM local start.
What happens to the team that loses tonight?
They are not eliminated. The loser plays Qualifier 2 on September 18 against the winner of the Eliminator between Barbados Tridents and Jamaica Kingsmen, with a place in the final still up for grabs.
What is the head to head record between GAW and ABF?
Guyana lead 4 wins to 2 across six T20 meetings, though Antigua won the most recent match on September 8, 2026.
Who should be Dream11 captain for GAW vs ABF?
Glenn Phillips offers the highest ceiling if Guyana’s batting clicks, while Alzarri Joseph is the safer pick given Antigua’s recent form and his new ball threat.
Does the Kensington Oval pitch favor batting first or chasing?
Recent matches here strongly favor the team bowling first and chasing, with the side batting second winning the last four games played at this ground.
Who is favored to win Qualifier 1?
Guyana are favored on season long form, but Antigua’s recent head to head win over this exact side makes it a genuinely close contest rather than a formality.
Where can I watch GAW vs ABF live?
Fans in India can use JioHotstar or FanCode, Pakistan and Bangladesh can use Tapmad, the US and Canada can use Willow TV, and other regions can check the broadcast table above.
What time does the match go live in different countries?
The 8:00 PM Barbados start translates to the early hours of the next morning across South Asia and the Middle East, so check your local conversion before the toss.
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