ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — This year’s Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will feature a women’s tournament, with three franchise teams competing for the first-ever Women’s CPL (WCPL) title playing alongside the men’s tournament starting in August.

Hero CPL and Cricket West Indies (CWI) made the announcement on Monday, as it was revealed that the teams competing in the inaugural WCPL are Barbados Royals, Guyana Amazon Warriors, and Trinbago Knight Riders, which will showcase the best female cricketers from across the Caribbean, with overseas stars rounding out the teams.

CWI President Ricky Skerrit said the initiative falls in line with one of CWI’s strategic priorities, which is increasing opportunities for West Indian women and girls to get involved in the sport.

“We are delighted that we have been able to partner with CPL to further the expansion plans that we had first unveiled in 2019 prior to the arrival of the [novel coronavirus] pandemic,” he said. “We are confident that all CPL women’s games will be highly competitive and will add quality entertainment to our fans in the region and around the world.”

Hero CPL’s CEO Pete Russell said that on the heels of a successful Women’s T10 Challenge that took place during the 2019 CPL, the tournament organisers were looking forward to the next step with the WCPL.

The women’s tournament will take place during the men’s event inside the 2022 Hero CPL tournament window which will run from August 30 to September 30.

CWI confirmed that a window has been created in an otherwise very busy international schedule so that all selected West Indies players will be available for this year’s Men’s and Women’s CPL tournaments.

“The addition of a women’s event to the CPL is something that has been an ambition for a long time and we are very pleased that it has become a reality. We would like to thank CWI for working with us to make this happen,” Russell said.

“We are very pleased to confirm the dates for the 2022 tournament; and with travel around the world and region becoming easier CPL will be able to visit more than one country this year so fans can enjoy CPL in person once again.”

This 10th edition of the franchise-based T20 tournament will be played across more countries this year, with three Caribbean countries being selected for the group stages and the fourth venue being chosen for the finals. CPL said it anticipates that this four-venue structure could become the norm for future seasons.

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, the current Hero CPL champions, will be defending their title against Barbados Royals, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs, Saint Lucia Kings, and Trinbago Knight Riders.