Jamaica’s two-year absence from the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) could come to an end next year as CPL Chief Executive Officer Peter Russell indicates promising discussions with prospective owners and the Jamaican Government about the franchise’s return.

The Jamaica Observer has learnt that the CPL will approve a new owner for the in-demand Jamaican franchise in the coming months. There is talk that an Indian Premier League (IPL) ownership group is one of the front-runners.

The Jamaican franchise hasn’t been involved in the region’s Twenty20 (T20) showpiece since 2023 after three-time champions Tallawahs were replaced by the Antigua & Barbuda Falcons with owner Kris Persaud citing his dissatisfaction with the lack of support from the Jamaican Government and selling the Jamaican franchise back to the CPL.

However, Russell, in an exclusive with the Observer, says that while a decision isn’t imminent, he’s optimistic that Jamaica will be involved in the tournament next year.

“We have had talks with several businesses who are very interested in investing in a CPL franchise in Jamaica and these talks have been positive and productive. We are hoping that we can come back to Jamaica for the 2026 season but this is still a work in progress,” he said.

“As the most populous country in the English-speaking Caribbean, it has of course impacted on CPL by not having a presence in the country, and we have made it clear that we want to be in Jamaica and bringing CPL cricket to the fans there.”

Russell says the ideal owner needs to fulfil certain criteria before taking over the team.

“Anyone who we welcome into the CPL family of franchises will be a group that has a deep understanding of what CPL is trying to do in terms of giving back to host countries in terms of economic impact and an understanding of how CPL and its franchises sit with in the West Indies Cricket ecosystem,” he said.

The lack of Government support has been widely spoken about by Russell and former owner Persaud. After the team’s switch to Antigua, Persaud said he “could not continue to operate a franchise cricket team in a country where the Government refuses to provide any financial support for the tremendous economic and social benefits it receives from event held on their behalf in and out of Jamaica.”

However, Russell says talks with Sports Minister Olivia Grange have been fruitful and he is expecting a significant change in their efforts.

“We have had a number of really productive and positive discussions with the Jamaican Government and we think they understand the value that a CPL franchise can bring to a host nation. As we have seen in Guyana where the CPL has seen a record-breaking increase in inward bound visitors if a symbiotic relation between a government and the CPL can lead to really groundbreaking initiatives that have a long lasting impact,” he said.

Russell says the passion from Jamaican fans and the seemingly renewed interest in cricket investment, as seen with the Sabina Park leg of Australia’s tour of the West Indies, has given CPL more confidence that a return to Jamaica will be worthwhile.

“There definitely needs to be buy-in from Government and local business for a CPL franchise to be successful. But we have seen with the improvements to Sabina Park ahead of the pink ball Test between West Indies and Australia that there is an appetite to invest in cricket in Jamaica. That can only be a positive thing for a potential return of CPL to the country,” he said.

“Certainly, there is a clear and obvious love of cricket in Jamaica. We have seen that with the excellent crowds that we have achieved at Sabina Park when CPL games weere there. In terms of selling Jamaica and its fans to a prospective buyer, those crowds for the CWI matches is of course helpful to the cause.”

Although the Tallawahs have become a household name, Russell suggested that there might be a name change in the future similar to other franchises like Trinbago, Barbados and St Lucia. However, Russell says the goal remains to ensure its name continues to reflect Jamaican culture.

“It is our intention to work with the new ownership team to have a name that resonates with the Jamaican people,” he said.

“With T20 cricket increasingly becoming a global enterprise with ownership groups making use of economies of scale and pushing their brand to become a worldwide proposition it is quite possible that any new Jamaican CPL team would have a variation on the Tallawahs name, but we want to keep that connection with Jamaica.”

The Jamaica Tallawahs is still the second most successful franchise with title wins in 2013, 2016, and 2022.

RUSSELL… we are hoping that we can come back to Jamaica for the 2026 season, but this is still a work in progress

Jamaica Tallawahs celebrate winning the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League after the final against Barbados Royals at Providence Stadium in Guyana on Friday, September 30, 2022. (Photos: CPL via Getty Images)

In this file photo, Andre Russell (right) of Jamaica Tallawahs hits six runs as Denesh Ramdin of Trinbago Knight Riders looks on during the Hero Caribbean Premier League match at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on August 10, 2018. (Photo: CPL via Getty Images)