Fans home and away have grown accustomed to ‘the biggest party in sport’ starting their summer off with the highest form of world class T20 cricket in June – July. However, the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) games are likely to be shifted to the August-September period in 2017.
Pete Russell
This revelation was made by Pete Russell, Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Hero Caribbean Premier League as he was addressing journalists at the Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday.
The COO explained that “the last tournament was exciting so we want more of that obviously and we are going to start the tournament a bit later this year.”
The other dynamics of the tournament remain the same and will still have the same number of teams; the Guyana Amazon Warriors, Trinbago Knight Riders, Jamaica Tallawahs, Barbados Trident, St. Lucia Zouks and St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots and the same number of matches will be played, 34.
“It will start at the beginning of August and run through to the first week in September.” Russell stated.
Previously, dates for the tournament were July 29 to August 26 in 2013; July 5 to August 10 in 2014; June 21 to July 26 in 2015 and June 29 and August 7 this year.
The tournament includes six franchises with 15 contracted players each, including a maximum of five international players and four players under the age of 23. Each team has one local and one international franchise player.
Meanwhile, as the dates for the tournament is now shifted, Russell went on to say that as part of the “jigsaw puzzle” there is still the whole issue of where and when the matches will be played as well as where the finals will be hosted.
The CPL which is broadcast to over 40 countries across the world including every continent, saw Trinidad and Tobago’s Queens Park Oval and St. Kitts and Nevis’s Warner Park Stadium in Basseterre hosting the finals twice each.
Guyana Amazon Warriors have made it to three finals. Jamaica Tallawahs are the defending champions with two titles to their name while Trinbago Knight Riders and Barbados Trident have each won it once.
