Organisers settle on stable window for CPL tournament
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — Caribbean Premier League organisers and Cricket West Indies have settled on a stable window for the popular Twenty20 championship, which will see it continue to be played in August and September for the next five years.
Principals of both organisations confirmed that the window for the tournament will run from August 21 to September 27.
For the last two years, the CPL has been played during the same months and chief operating officer, Pete Russell, said the new development would ensure fans now associate the time period with the tournament.
“We are very pleased to be playing our tournament in August and September for the third successive year and we have now agreed that this will be the time of year that CPL takes place for the next five seasons,” Russell said.
“Fans now associate this time of year with Hero CPL and we have already started work on bringing the party to life in 2019. Having the best Caribbean cricketers and the world’s best overseas is what our tournament is all about, and this window gives us that.”
The tournament ran from August 8 to September 16 last year, mirroring the August 4 to September 9 dates in 2017.
However, the 2016 and 2015 tournaments bowled off in June while the 2014 edition and the inaugural competition got going in July.
The difficulty for organisers was finding an international window where the best players would be available, and CWI chief executive, Johnny Grave, said he was pleased this had been achieved.
“The Hero CPL has developed into one of the best and most exciting T20 competitions in the world and we look forward to hosting another successful tournament later this year,” he said.
“We are pleased that we have been able to find a window in our Windies International calendar to ensure that all the best Caribbean cricketers can take part, as the tournament plays a crucial role in our preparations and planning for the T20 World Cup in 2020.”
This year’s opening round of matches will take place in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, with the playoffs also being staged in both nations.
Trinbago Knight Riders, based in Port of Spain, are two-time reigning champions.
