By Avenash Ramzan
For the first time in the tournament’s history, Guyana will host playoff games in the Hero Caribbean Premier League.
The announcement was made on Wednesday afternoon by Chief Operations Officer of the League, Pete Russell, at a press conference at the Marriott Hotel.
Guyana will stage the two playoff matches on September 11 and 12, both bowling off at 18:00h. The winners from these games will advance to the championship game in Trinidad and Tobago.
Guyana will now host seven games this season, as the Guyana Amazon Warriors will play five home games during the preliminary phase of the competition.
“We have always been blessed with fantastic support in Guyana where the passion for cricket amongst the local population is second to none. We are delighted to be able to bring such significant matches to Guyana for the first time and are sure the fans will turn out in large numbers,” Russell said.
Commenting on the announcement, Minister of State Joe Harmon said, “Cricket is such a huge part of our culture, which you can see from the fantastic crowds and amazing support we have seen at Amazon Warriors matches over the last few years. Guyanese fans play an important role in the success of the Hero CPL and we are very pleased that we are able to reward them by hosting these playoff games.”
In addition to the playoff games, Guyana Amazon Warriors will play their first of five matches at Providence on August 9 against St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots; St Lucia Stars (August 11); Barbados Tridents (August 12); Jamaica Tallawahs (September 8) and defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders on September 9.