By Timothy Jaikarran
Brandon King was one of the standout batsmen in the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2019 edition. The youngster was drafted in the Guyana Amazon Warriors squad and really stood out from the rest of the players as he smashed ball after ball, leading his team to various victories. 
This year, he returns to the team with a hunger to see the Warriors cross the finish line. This CPL tournament is also one of the dearest to the youngster, since the end game is not just winning but also raising awareness for the Black Lives Matter movement.
King had a stellar performance as he ended the 2019 season as the leading run-scorer, amassing 496 runs at an impressive average of 55.1. King hit 132 not out, the highest innings in CPL history, consisting of 10 fours and 11 sixes in a 72-ball knock against Barbados Tridents at Providence on October 6, 2019, as the Warriors qualified for the final of the 2019 CPL.
Additionally, while King may look to better his performance on the field, he is currently aiming to better it off the field as well. He will be donning the black SG stickers on his bat along with his management team GGSM, as a way of supporting the COVID-19 relief and the Black Lives Matter movement.
“In terms of the Black Lives Matter movement, it is something that is well documented, and to me, I think we as athletes have to be vocal and use our platforms to the best of our abilities. Our reach as athletes is not only in our community but it is widespread, a lot of the times it’s about us making that first step and from there, others will follow,” he said during an interview with Sunday Times Magazine.
He also went on to state that the COVID-19 relief initiative he will be supporting are two charities which will be Greater Trench Town Foundation in Jamaica and one in Guyana that is yet to be determined.
“The one selected in Jamaica, me and my team selected it because we looked at areas that were mostly affected by the virus. Everyone knows that the virus hasn’t only affected those in terms of them being sick but they have lost their jobs or even saw their pay being cut. So, to support this I will be giving US$100 to the two charities along with the Black Lives Matter Movement for every 6 I hit in the tournament,” the 25-year-old King expressed.
In terms of his other teammates and members of the other CPL squads who are interested in being a part of this initiative, King noted: “We are all free to donate that’s the point of it, I’m encouraging other players to join in. It’s a better encouragement for them to give, it’s not difficult and it doesn’t have to be something grant or big but it’s just about taking that first step as I mentioned and playing our part as athletes.”
On a lighter note, King relayed to the Amazon Warriors fans that he is deeply saddened that they cannot be at the grounds supporting their home team owing to the fact that they make the home games spectacular. He stated that he knows they will be supporting from home and assured them that the Amazon Warriors are doing their best and hope to make them proud this year when they take to the field.
King made his CPL debut in 2017 against GAW, wherein he scored only 11 runs. In that season, he played 11 matches for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and scored 125 runs in seven innings. The right-handed middle-order batsman had few opportunities in a team that once included the likes of Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis. In his 2018 season with that franchise, King had the opportunity to bat in only seven innings. He tallied 142 runs, including a career-best 60.
King, a cricketing graduate from the Kingston Cricket Club, has been a prolific domestic run-getter from an early age and has done well as a middle-order stroke-player in the teams he has played for. He is urging the Warriors’ fans to ensure they keep locked in and watch the team bring home the trophy this year.
