Guyana among countries negotiating to host CPL 2022

…retentions to be completed in March, draft set for May

By Jemima Holmes

Though it may still be months away, it’s never too early to determine the next destination for “The Biggest Party in Sport”, and according to early reports, Guyana is poised to join the action once again.

The big boss, Hero CPL CEO Pete Russell, is in town, and is expected to meet with cricket’s stakeholders to discuss Guyana’s involvement in the 2022 edition of the Hero Caribbean Premier League. If negotiations go right, Guyana could very well play hosts for the Hero CPL 2022.

This revelation was made by Hero CPL CEO Pete Russell during an exclusive sit-down with Guyana Times Sport on Wednesday morning, when he
divulged that negotiations to have the tournament hosted in the Land of Many Waters are currently in their early stages. However, similar plans are being mulled for other Caribbean territories, with shared hosting being on the cards.
“Yeah, there have been discussions. As you rightly point out, they’re in the early stages. We’re also having discussions, obviously, elsewhere, because there’s interest in the CPL Final, not just in Guyana, but in other countries,” Russell revealed.
“It’s no secret that we love playing games here. You know, the fans here are fantastic! Guyana is a team that has contributed so much to CPL. I mean, they’ve been incredibly unlucky not winning it yet. So, it’s an ongoing process. I think it’s no secret that I would like to see the Final playing here one day; so, let’s see,” the CPL CEO added.
What Hero CPL is sure of, however, is the constraints of hosting a tournament during a global pandemic. To this end, Russell is appreciative of the positive reception the tournament has had, even throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s been really difficult because, as you rightly said, CPL is about the fans; the fans are what make it the experience that it is. So, we’ve had to be creative about how we put the games on. It’s not easy in a pandemic, because you had to ensure, first and foremost, the safety of the players and everyone who’s involved in the tournament,” Russell highlighted.
He further stated, “So, that’s a huge amount of logistical work ahead of the tournament. First, to pull of the tournament and get the viewing figures we did shows there’s a real interest in West Indies Cricket; that’s where the ultimate goal is. So, we’re delighted how it turned out.”
On whether or not the Hero CPL would switch up their fully-vaccinated, 50% capacity fan viewership for the 2022 edition, Russell says that would be determined closer to the start of the event, which is set for late August.
Russell said, “Very dependent on the host nation. We work very closely with the CMO in each island or country, and, you know, we’re quite a long way out now; it’s end of August when we’re looking to start the games.
“For us to make decisions of fully vaccinated or capacity sizes, I think it’s too premature. Obviously for us, we want to get back to full stadiums, but this pandemic is, you’ve got to treat it with utmost respect. So, we’ll just have to see where we are closer to the tournament,” he went on to explain.
In the meantime, fans can look forward to the Hero CPL draft, set for May, while player retention lists are due in March.
“It’ll be in May. The teams, as we speak, are already looking at retentions, look at who they’ll retain from last year. They will have the ability to sign their own international players, so I know they’re in the market doing that right now. So, we should have a pretty good idea, in the next month or so, how the teams are shaping up,” the CPL CEO commented.
“That’s what’s exciting, because this year certain players will move around, I would think. So, that’s always good.”
This year’s tournament will mark the 10th edition of the Regional T20 Franchise tournament.