Jamaica Tallawahs remain confident of retaining their Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Twenty20 cricket title, despite organisers announcing on Monday that Jamaica will not host any matches in the 2023 edition.

The Tallawahs, who lifted the CPL title for a third time when they defeated Barbados Royals in last year’s final in Guyana, last hosted a match in 2019.

Last season, aside from in Guyana, CPL matches were hosted in St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago.

With Barbados named as an additional venue this season, the Tallawahs will be the only franchise without a home leg in the 2023 tournament, which is set to run from August 16 to September 24.

“We are in to defend our title and we’re not going to take it lightly. We still want to give the fans something to cheer about [though] they are not going to be there physically to support us,” Tallawahs Chief Executive Officer Jefferson Miller told the Jamaica Observer when contacted.

Pace bowler Nicholson Gordon, a standout during his debut season of T20 cricket last year, capturing nine wickets to help the Tallawahs clinch the title, said a repeat is on the cards despite the setback.

“Obviously, we would want to play in front of our home crowd because it gives you a different energy to really go out and perform. However, it is not going to happen so the players just have to do what they would normally do in front of their home crowd… it’s something the team would just have to go and do again,” explained Gordon, who claimed 3-33 in last year’s final.

Miller noted that after defeating Guyana Amazon Warriors en route to the final, the Tallawahs attracted supporters who would have otherwise supported the hosts.

“I never knew there were so many Jamaica flags in Guyana until the final; it was amazing. I think after we defeated Guyana then all of Guyana decided to support Jamaica, so it was really a great feeling,” Miller said.

However, Miller, who stood in as team manager last season, conceded that not having home matches for yet another campaign is a significant blow.

“The Tallawahs are extremely disappointed not to have any games in Jamaica. As three-time champions and as current champions of CPL, we thought we would have had the opportunity to play in Jamaica this year,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the situation between CPL and Government did not materialise and we’ll have to play our home games on the road,” the franchise CEO added in reference to the breakdown in partnership discussions between CPL organisers and the Jamaican Government.

In response to questions from the Observer last October, CPL CEO Pete Russell had expressed interest in staging matches in Jamaica, but said the decision would be predicated on support from the country’s Government.

“We have made no secret of the fact that we have lacked support in terms of bringing the CPL to Jamaica over the years, and this has been a challenge,” he said.

In further outlining his point, he had drawn a comparison with Guyana.

“We feel that what CPL does for host countries speaks for itself, with the Guyana government’s Cricket Carnival a prime example of what can be achieved if stakeholders work together.

“There was a 90 per cent increase of international arrivals into Guyana in September 2022 with 31,050 international visitors arriving in the country. There were no hotel rooms available, and money was being put into the Guyanese economy. We want to be able to come back to Jamaica, but for this to happen we need support from the Government and the private sector,” Russell had said.

At the time, Jamaica’s Minister of Sport Olivia Grange, though not making a commitment on behalf of the Government, had expressed interest in partnering with the CPL.

“The Caribbean Premier League has enjoyed the support of the Government and our franchise, the Jamaica Tallawahs, has benefited from Government financial and other kinds of non-cash support.

“As a Government, we would be interested in seeing the return of CPL matches to the country as we recognise the potential benefits to be derived from hosting. We are aware that the country’s sport tourism product would be on display to the influx of visiting teams and fans,” Grange had told the Observer.