The Caribbean tournament was scheduled to take place between August 28, and end with the final, which was to be played on September 19. However, the tournament has now been shifted by three days from August 25 to September 15.
The issue stems from the fact that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to resume on September 19. The IPL began in early April but was called off on May 4 after an outbreak of COVID-19 within the competition’s bio-secure bubble.
With a packed international schedule, however, that decision to continue the IPL has not found favour with some countries that have players taking part in the competition. England and Bangladesh players have been prohibited from taking part in the rescheduled competition.
Several West Indies players who will take part in the CPL are expected to return to the IPL. The players are Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran (Punjab Kings) Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders) Dwayne Bravo (Chennai Super Kings) Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders), Shimron Hetmyer - Delhi Capitals, and Fabian Allen - Punjab Kings.
Though typically the realm of lifelong administrators and businessmen, the cricket boards of the sport’s big three, England, India, and Australia have included former players at the top level of the game’s governance. Currently, India is the best example with former captain Sourav Ganguly serving as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, on a body that also included Brijesh Patel. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) recently added former captain Andrew Strauss as a non-voting member but also includes women’s player Lucy Pearson. For Cricket Australia, Michael Kasprowicz resigned from the board earlier this year but two-time women’s World Cup winner Mel Jones remains a member of the board.
“The board should have four ex-cricketers. Knowledgeable, intelligent people who want to take our cricket forward,” Lloyd told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“When I was at Lancashire on the committee, we had 16 or 17 people on the committee, but we had to have six cricketers, that was enshrined in the constitution because it’s a cricket club. That’s why cricket is taken care of in England. All the clubs have the same situation.”
“We do not have a Test cricketer of note on our board. If you look at all the other boards, Australia have had four captains on their board. India have had some of their ex-players on their board. England, who they have coaching the team, and the ECB have their ex-cricketers…cricketers are involved in the development of the game. (In the West Indies) If you decide to be a part of the board and you are somebody of some standing, they don’t seem to want you because they believe you will overshadow them.”
The current Cricket West Indies (CWI) body does have Michael Findlay, who played Test cricket for the West Indies between 1969 to 1973 along with Julian Charles and Enoch Lewis who played cricket at the regional level.
The IPL was suspended in early May after four players in the biosecure bubble tested positive for Covid-19. The competition is now expected to take place in the September-October window later this year in the UAE.
With a packed international schedule, however, that decision has not found favour with some countries that have players taking part in the competition. England and Bangladesh players have been prohibited from taking part in the rescheduled IPL 2021.
With the ICC T20 World Cup scheduled for October, the timing of the IPL could interfere with the teams' preparation for the World Cup. This season, nine West Indian players were taking part in the competition before it was postponed.
Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran (Punjab Kings) Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders) Dwayne Bravo (Chennai Super Kings) Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders), Shimron Hetmyer - Delhi Capitals, and Fabian Allen - Punjab Kings. There is no indication as of yet, whether IPL resumption will clash with plans of Cricket West Indies (CWI). The West Indies are expected to tackle Pakistan in August.
“In case they (foreign players) can’t make it to UAE for IPL, franchises will be within their right to cut their salaries and pay them only on a pro-rata basis,” a Board of Cricket Control India (BCCI) member told Inside Sports.
