The 10th edition of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is already looking exciting, with the body considering a women’s competition for the regional event in 2022.
This disclosure was made by Hero CPL CEO Pete Russell during an exclusive interview with Guyana Times Sport on Wednesday.
Flashback: A look at one of the CPL T10 women’s games in 2019
As he discussed inclusion and growth for the proverbial “biggest party in sport”, he said: “We’re bringing a women’s T20, we hope, this year. That’s being signed off with the Cricket West Indies as we speak. Three teams will participate in that.”
CPL CEO, Pete Russell
Russell divulged to this publication, “We did a trial run in Trinidad two years ago. It was T10, but this will be official franchise teams.”
Based on a model from 2019, wherein the CPL hosted one-off T10 women’s games, the idea has been improved upon with the birth of three female franchises. This, Russell stated, would give the Caribbean’s female players a sense of inclusion in “the biggest party in sport”.
“The women players will feel part of the organisation that the men feel part of. So, that’s just the start of the process. It wouldn’t be a full tournament like the men’s is, but yeah, we’re excited about that, because we think it’s long overdue,” he said.
When quizzed about which Caribbean countries would own the three franchises, Russell alluded to Guyana, Trinidad and Barbados.
This new development, coupled with the positive reception of West Indian players on the world market – specifically at the Indian Premier League (IPL) – augurs well for the growth of the CPL and Caribbean players’ capabilities, according to Russell.
“I think it’s just going to get bigger and better,” he continued. “I think the IPL auction showed again that Caribbean cricketers are in demand. Their individual abilities are without question. They’re well suited to the T20 game, so I think we’ll continue to grow.”
Back in 2019, the Hero CPL announced a couple of T10 women’s matches that would be played between two teams consisting of the Caribbean’s bet female talents. The NLCB Revellers comprised players from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Leeward Islands, while the Courts Gladiators featured players from Guyana, Barbados and Windward Islands. Those matches were played solely in Trinidad and Tobago.
