HERO Caribbean Premier League (CPL) organisers are promising that the fourth staging of the Twenty20 (T20) cricket tournament will have increased entertainment on and off the field.

Pete Russell, the CPL chief operating officer, said match venues, including the Jamaica Tallawahs’ base at Sabina Park, will be “rocking” with excitement during the 2016 edition.

“We are going to be doing a lot more in the stadia in terms of entertainment. From the Jamaican point of view, we want Sabina Park to be absolutely rocking for every game,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“We want that unique Caribbean flavour that people love around the world. They love seeing Caribbean people having a good time plus good cricket playing at the same time, and that’s a perfect combination,” Russell added.

The competition is scheduled to run from June 29 to August 7.

CPL is yet to release a fixture list for the Jamaica leg of the tournament, but Russell said two of the four games are likely to begin at 7:00 pm, while the others are set for 8:00 pm starts.

He said the full schedule will be released once they have tied up the host venue for this year’s championship match.

“The main challenge for us is where the finals is going to be hosted. Once we get that locked off a lot of the other things will automatically fall into place.”

Six preliminary-round matches are also scheduled to be played in Florida, United States, this season.

CPL said that in excess of 300,000 spectators attended matches across the region last year.

Tournament organisers said the 2015 edition attracted a global audience in excess of 90 million, with increased viewership expected this year.

Russell told the Observer that West Indies’ victory in the ICC World T20 tournament has been a boost.

“I think the growth has been fantastic. I think also that what happened with the senior team winning is yet again an endorsement as to how popular T20 cricket is in the Caribbean, and how well it is played in the Caribbean. You already have the ingredients for a fantastic tournament,” Russell said.

The CPL chief operating officer said setting the framework for future regional success on the world stage is an objective of the organisers.

“The progression of the younger players is so vital to us. We know the stars and we know what the [Kieron] Pollards and the [Dwayne] Bravos or the [Christopher] Gayles, the [Andre] Russells, what they deliver. We want to make sure that the next generation get their chance and get the platform to show their skills.

“The international players coming in is a big bonus to help the younger players so they can see how professionals at that level train, prepare and then play,” Russell said.

While CPL has been a success story since it took over as the Caribbean’s major T20 tournament in 2013, Russell conceded there have been challenges, among them flying teams and equipment around the region.

“Playing across six different countries is never easy. You’re always going to come across some logistic issues. Everyone involved understands that…it’s not an easy place to get around, but that said, we haven’t had any major headaches.

“On the playing side, we’ve been making improvements over the years, and this year is going to be bigger and better. We have a very simple focus, which is to put good cricket across the islands and make it affordable for everyone.

“For me, it’s all about the cricket, so I want to see better pitches and I want to see teams making [totals of] 160 and 170. What we all want to get away from are pitches where the ball turns from ball one and it’s difficult for the batsmen to get confidence from,” he said.