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A certain Pooran has been dominating the powerplay in CPL 2026. Except it's not Nicholas. Get acquainted with Kamil Pooran, who has emerged as the standout new face this season. Like Nicholas, Kamil also hails from Trinidad, but unlike Nicholas, Kamil is a late-blooming right-hand batter and is playing his maiden CPL season, for St Lucia Kings, at the age of 30. Kamil made his first-class debut for Trinidad at age 26 and then took four more years to break into the CPL. This CPL season, Kamil has dashed out of the blocks, having a strike rate of almost 175 in the powerplay, the highest among 14 batters who have faced 60 or more balls during this phase. This performance has led fans in the Caribbean to wonder if Kamil is related to Nicholas. Spoiler alert: he isn't, but he has been joking that he is. "Like if I'm walking in my hotel...people ask me if I'm related to Nicholas. Especially this CPL, around 200-300 people have asked me the question, but I'm accustomed to it," Kamil tells Cricinfo. "Sometimes, I say he's my brother (laughs) but right now after the CPL, I can't joke about it much. It's not something I'm fed up of, but I've grown accustomed to it." Kamil crossed paths with the OG Pooran in Trinidad and has been picking his brain to develop into a more versatile batter. "To be honest, Nicholas has helped me with my batting stance and certain head positions," Kamil says. "Obviously, Nicholas is one of the best in the world, so why wouldn't I listen to him? I still watch Nicholas as a fan and not like someone I know. He takes the time and effort to come and talk to me because he wants to see me grow as well. "He wants me to become a player who can carry on outside the powerplay as well. Especially as an opener, it's not going to happen a lot of times, but you want to be in that situation. I love batting, even outside the powerplay; it's something that I'm trying to build into myself and carry on as long as possible." While Kamil's batting is still a work in progress, his attacking intent, even against the likes of Jason Holder and Andre Russell, has been particularly impressive. For instance in Kings' home game against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in Gros Islet, Holder drew an outside edge from Kamil in the second over, but Andre Fletcher, the wicketkeeper, dropped him. Kamil, however, didn't let it cloud his aggressive approach and hit Holder for two fours in the same over. Kamil had entered the CPL without playing an official T20, but role clarity from coach Daren Sammy and captain Roston Chase helped him adapt to this level and deal with pressure better. "I'm always an aggressive batsman," Kamil says. "The good thing about Sammy is he tells me that's why they brought me here for - to take on the bowling from ball one and they [team management] trust me to do that. I'm comfortable that they are backing me to go out there and be aggressive." Apart from powering the ball over the top, Kamil is also capable of manipulating the field. He has often backed away, manufacturing room to pump boundaries on both sides of the wicket. "I think that when a bowler tends to have two fielders on the leg side in the powerplay, they tend to bowl straighter to you," Kamil says. "So [at the] last minute, I just decide to back away, and I believe I have strong hands. So, it could be any length - full or short - I know if I keep my eyes on the ball, I can lift it over the infield with my hand-eye coordination." That skill especially came to the fore when Kamil launched Barbados Tridents spinner Chris Green into the roof of the Kensington Oval in his most recent game. Kamil feels that his career turned in 2022 after his father passed away. One year later, he made his first-class debut and pressed on to make his List A debut in 2024. He has had to wait longer to enter the CPL, but he never lost hope of making it to the top level, thanks to his support system, which includes Kjorn Ottley, who has played four ODIs for West Indies. "My father was always there to support me and used to watch every single game of mine while I was growing up. But then my life changed after he passed away," Kamil says. "My mindset changed so much and I started training harder. I'm doing all of this for him. I know everything happens for a reason. He still motivates me to go out there and perform to the best of my ability." When he was younger, Kamil idolised Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar, and now he is relishes watching the current India Test and ODI captain. "I tend to watch Shubman Gill a lot from this generation and try to learn from him," Kamil says. "He's my favourite batter at the moment!" At Kings, Kamil has also had a ringside view to how Tim Seifert, one of the most sought-after opening batters in franchise T20 cricket, goes about his business. He agrees that batting alongside Seifert has made life easier for him. "I know if somebody's giving me trouble, I could just get a single and I know Timmy will whack it for four or six. So I'm actually learning so much from him also," Kamil says. "During training sessions, he shares a few thoughts I pick up and it's important to learn as fast as possible because the CPL is a fast-paced game." In the recent past, CPL has been a springboard to West Indies' T20I team. After catching the eye with his big-hitting in CPL 2025, Guyana Amazon Warriors' Quentin Sampson was fast-tracked into West Indies' T20 World Cup squad. Shamar Springer made his T20I debut for West Indies soon after tricking batters with his slower variations in CPL 2024. Kamil, though, doesn't want to get ahead of himself and veer off from his immediate goal of helping Kings win the title. "In a snap of a finger, anything can happen," Kamil says. "I just try to control whatever I can and enjoy this moment. But I do pray to God for certain things. Winning is obviously the No.1 goal and I also want to have the most runs in this CPL." Before the start of this season, not many might have expected Kamil to start for Kings, but he is now in with a shout of upstaging Nicholas for the most runs among West Indians in this CPL.