President Ali touts World Premier T20 League for Caribbean

By Akeem Greene

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In a bold plan to build on the successes of hosting the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in Guyana, President Dr. Irfaan Ali revealed discussions are ongoing with stakeholders to resuscitate the Champions League T20 cricket in the form of the World Premier League.

The President made the announcement while speaking virtually at the CARICOM Regional Cricket Conference in Trinidad and Tobago and said he hopes it will lend to the development of both local and regional tourism product.

“CPL is an opportunity we have to work and expand to build on this opportunity to lead us into the best form of franchise cricket.

“In Guyana, we are working with the West Indies Cricket Board, CPL, and the ICC to launch a new product for the region that will position the region in the global market: the World Premier League. We are hoping that it will replace what used to be the Champions League,” the President detailed.

Champions League Twenty20, also known as the CLT20, is an annual international Twenty20 Cricket competition played between qualifying domestic teams from some major cricketing nations. It was launched in 2008, and the first edition was held in October 2009.

The format involved qualifying teams from the premier Twenty20 competitions of the eight Test-playing nations, favoring the teams from India, Australia, and South Africa.

Owing to poor viewing figures, a lack of audience interest, and unstable sponsorship, the three founding cricket boards announced in July 2015 that the tournament would be canceled, making the 2014 Champions League Twenty20 the tournament’s last edition.

Guyana qualified for the tournament in 2010, while Trinidad and Tobago reached the final in the first edition.

CARIBBEAN PREMIER LEAGUE

Commenting on CPL at the conference, Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley, called for the CPL contract to be revised.

Dr. Rowley, who is also the Chairman of CARICOM’s Prime Ministerial sub-committee on cricket, stated, “In the interest of West Indies cricket and managing resources that should be available to us, it is absolutely essential for West Indies cricket to reopen the CPL contract and to look at the resources available to West Indies cricket. That lopsided contract must not stand.”

The ‘Biggest Party in Sport’ commenced in 2013, and the privately run tournament, sanctioned by Cricket West Indies, has been the region’s only T20 tournament.

CWI’s Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe, recently said they aim to start a Regional T20 tournament solely for West Indies cricketers in May 2025.

Bascombe indicated that the precise details have yet to be decided, but it was seen as a necessary step given that CPL is not the ideal platform to unearth grassroots talent.

Several players and pundits have called for reintroducing a regional tournament to act as a feeder for CPL and, ultimately, the West Indies team.