Cpl

Raza was picked up by the Trinbago Knight Riders in the competition’s draft on Monday.

“CPL was missing from the CV and I’m glad it’s now there. But most importantly, I’m glad that there will be Zimbabwean representation,” said Raza.

According to Raza, the decision by the TKR could now help open the door for other Zimbabwean cricketers trying to break into the major T20 competitions around the world.

“What I believe in is that if one goes, then he’ll bring another one and then if the two impress, the number will double. I’m hopeful that more Zimbabweans can be snapped up next season,” said Raza.

The TKR failed to defend their title in 2019, with the Barbados Tridents claiming the top spot ahead of the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

The CPL, this year, will run from August 18-September 10 and be held entirely in Trinidad and Tobago.

Blackwood was a last-minute call up for the Jamaica Tallawahs after Andre McCarthy lost his place in the squad after he was exposed to someone infected with the Covid-19 virus. Nevertheless, while he did not necessarily cover himself in glory, the diminutive Jamaican batsman did just about enough to satisfy his employers.

In eight matches, Blackwood batted seven times scoring 189 runs at an average of 27.00. Critically, he became a useful replacement for an out of form Chadwick Walton and with the very reliable Glen Phillips, had the two best opening partnerships for the Tallawahs during the season.

He scored 74 while mounting an opening stand of 51 with Phillips against the Barbados Tridents. He also collaborated in an opening stand of 84 with Phillips against the St Lucia Zouks in a match that Tallawahs somehow managed to lose.

His contribution of 25 was more valuable than the actual score as it helped put his team in a winning position.

Miller was pleased with his overall performance.

“Jermaine contributing to the team when he got the opportunity only showed how professional he is,” Miller said.

“He was always ready, very vocal in the dressing room, a team player. Jermaine is a player that would definitely be a part of our T20 team going forward.”

The surfaces at the recently concluded Caribbean Premier League (CPL) were at the centre of attention for most of the campaign.  Many argued that the condition of the surface played a significant part in scores that were much lower than usual.  In the end, the tournament was won by the home team, Trinbago Knight Riders who often did not seem to struggle on the surface.  In fact, the Knight Riders ended with a perfect record.  Also not finding fault with the surface, however, was the majority of the bowlers.

“I know we blame COVID for everything but this is not one of the things we should try to blame on COVID…we are making bowlers look 10 times as good as they are and especially in the spin department,” Roberts recently said on Antigua’s Good Morning Jojo Radio program.

The competition was held in unusual circumstances this season, with all the matches held in Trinidad and Tobago due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.  Roberts, however, still believes the pitches, notwithstanding, could be better prepared.

“You knew about three or four months ago that you’re going to have this tournament in Trinidad, one country, but you have two different facilities that you are going to play at so arrangements should be made to get all the pitches up to a certain standard,” he added.

“When I say all, I mean the entire square, because you can’t just use two pitches for the number of matches you are going to be playing on them.”

The 25-year-old opening batsman scored a 72-ball 132 against the Barbados Tridents to propel the Guyana Amazon Warriors to the 2019 CPL final. It was the highest individual score in CPL history.

For 2020, King wants to do more than shine with the bat. He wants to shine off the field as well as he announced on social media on Monday.

“Over the past few months, I’ve had some time to really think about how I could make a positive impact on communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and also the Black Lives Matter movement,” King wrote.

“So this year I will be sporting my black SG stickers and along with my management team, GGSM, we will be donating USD$100 for every six I hit during this year’s CPL tournament. Donations will be split between the Greater Trench Town Foundation in Jamaica and a charity in Guyana to be decided at a later date.”

King believes that more than ever before athletes need to do more to champion causes that make their communities better.

“As athletes, we have the platform to speak up and make effective change,” he said.

“I am encouraging my sponsors, other athletes, and friends to join in on donations by either supporting a #BLM initiative of your choice or by matching my donations towards these local charities.

“I am hopeful and looking forward to getting back out on the field very soon.”

King, the Player of the Match, scored a match-high 81 from 53 balls to lead the Tallawahs to 187 from their 20 overs. Roston Chase scored a quick-fire 50 but the Kings came up short scoring 176-8.

King and Kirk McKenzie opened with a stand of 44 that was broken when Chase removed McKenzie for 20. It would be the first of three wickets that the Tallawahs would lose in quick succession as Chase also dismissed Shamarh Brooks for 12 and Alzarri Joseph removed Amir Jangoo for a duck to leave the defending champions tottering at 62-3, having lost three wickets for 19 runs.

King found a useful partner in Raymon Reifer, who together put on a fourth-wicket stand of 77 that put the Tallawahs on track to a score of over 200 runs. Chase broke the stand when he dismissed Reifer for 16 and triggered a middle-order slide.

Fabian Allen smashed two fours and a six before he was run out for 15 and then King was finally dismissed for 81 that included nine fours and three sixes. Imad Wasim was the last man out for crucial 19 as the Tallawahs lost three wickets off the final three balls of the innings, Mohammad Amir and Nicholson Gordon both run out without scoring.

Chase finished with 3-39 and Joseph 2-21.

Chase also shone with the bat with 53 from 31 balls and got support from Roshon Primus who smashed 37 from just 20 balls as the pair put on a sixth-wicket stand of 61 that threatened to turn the match in favour the Kings.

However, once Primus was run out by Amir for 37, the innings quickly fell away as Chase was then bowled by Salman Irshad who also bowled Matthew Forde for four.

Earlier Johnson Charles rode his luck after being dropped twice to make 24 and Sean Williams contributed 26. Chris Green removed both as the Kings began to fall behind the required run rate. Meanwhile, Imad Wasim dismissed the dangerous Faf de Plessis for nine and then took the wickets of Sikandar Raza for four and Kimani Melius for a duck in consecutive deliveries that had the Kings struggling at 104-5 and needing to score at 14 runs an over in the final six.

Chase and Primus did their best but it proved to be a bridge too far.

Wasim finished with 3-27 while Irshad took 2-39. Chris Green’s two wickets came at a cost of 28 runs.

The Patriots won the toss and opted to field first but the decision backfired as a sparkling 89 off 57 balls from Brandon King led the way for the Tallawahs who set an imposing 183-2 from their 20 overs. In reply, the Patriots fell to a sizable defeat losing wickets in regular clusters as the Tallawahs put on an excellent display in the field to back up their performance with the bat.

The Tallawahs had got off to a circumspect start with Duan Jansen bowling a beautiful three-over opening spell. However once Brandon King got into his groove the runs started to flow. He took 14 and 19 runs, respectively, off Akila Dananjaya and Jon Russ Jaggesar to ensure the Tallawahs ended the PowerPlay on 48-0.

Whilst King was timing the ball well, the same could not be said for his opening partner Kennar Lewis. Normally a powerful striker of the ball, Lewis struggled in his time at the crease but had lady luck on his side. Twice he should have been run out but Sherfane Rutherford and Dewald Brevis failed to execute before Andre Fletcher and Jansen also dropped Lewis. Lewis benefitted from those misses to help put on a 100-run partnership with King before he eventually fell for 48 off the bowling of Jaden Carmichael.

That wicket brought Tallawahs captain, Rovman Powell, to the crease and he added a quickfire 30* from 15 balls at the death to ensure the Tallawahs set a match-winning target. Although much like Lewis he benefitted from two dropped catches along the way.

The Patriots were never really in the game in their reply as scoreboard pressure told.

Evin Lewis, Dewald Brevis and Darren Bravo all fell inside the first half of the innings which left the Patriots needing 12.5 runs per over.

That proved too steep a mountain to climb, and despite some pyrotechnics from Sherfane Rutherford, it was Nicholson Gordon who stole the show with the ball taking 3-24 to ensure a comfortable victory for the Tallawahs.

The Zouks started aggressively - Andre Fletcher lofted Ali Khan for a Hero Maximum but fell next ball, Pierre taking a fine catch at third man. The fit-again Rakheem Cornwall was unfazed and hit the ball after Fletcher’s dismissal for six, and the Zouks flew to 32/1 after three overs.

But then Cornwall drove aerially, Munro took a good catch, and on his home ground, Bravo became the founding member of T20 cricket’s 500 Club. He soon made it 501 - a portentous number on a ground with a pavilion named for Brian Lara - by yorking Roston Chase, and after a strong start, the Zouks had stuttered to 43/3 off the Powerplay.

Pollard went with Fawad Ahmed and himself after the Powerplay to keep the pressure on. They did so with aplomb, conceding only 15 runs in four overs and not giving up a single boundary. At halfway, the Zouks were 58/3 and hadn’t found the fence for 32 balls.

48-year-old Pravin Tambe, the first Indian to play the Hero CPL, only got one over, but it was an eventful one. Najibullah Zadran hit a Hero Maximum and a four, but Tambe had the last laugh. Najibullah misread the googly and gave Pollard a simple catch at cover, and Tambe had his own little moment of history.

Mohammad Nabi was busy, cutting Pollard for four, but with Mark Deyal scratchy, Fawad’s over went for just four and Pollard finished his spell tightly, leaving the Zouks searching for rhythm at 93/4 off 14 overs.

Nabi tried to provide it, sweeping Fawad for four and launching him for a Hero Maximum, but Fawad finished strong by ending Deyal’s struggles. Zouks captain Daren Sammy decided the situation called for himself, but Pierre returned with another good over and the Zouks entered the last four overs at 109/5.

Sammy had a few lusty swings but missed them all, and was eventually trapped LBW by Pierre. That was the last action before the rain came, and one wonders how many runs Nabi being starved of the strike took off the Knight Riders’ adjusted target.

Nabi sparked hope with the ball, trapping Lendl Simmons LBW for a second-ball duck. Munro though was positive, sweeping for four then a Hero Maximum to get the Knight Riders up and running. Scott Kuggeleijn didn’t help matters for the Zouks, firing down five wides in an over that went for 11.

Kesrick Williams was on the money, as both Munro and emergency opener Tion Webster found long-on to leave the Knight Riders three down and with Pollard and Darren Bravo yet to face a ball.

Pollard though didn’t last long - he got off the mark with a classy flick for four off Chemar Holder, but the young Bajan responded with one that jagged back off the seam to take an inside edge that was very well caught by Fletcher. After four overs, the Knight Riders needed 35 off 30 balls but were four down.

Nabi returned, but Bravo and Tim Seifert managed five singles off him to keep the Knight Riders ahead of the DLS par. Seifert had only faced three balls in the whole tournament before today but was busy and inventive. A flick over his shoulder off Kuggeleijn raced for four, and the Knight Riders needed 22 off the last three overs.

Darren Bravo brought up a milestone of his own off Williams, his 100th Hero CPL six, to reduce the equation to a run a ball. Holder was excellent at the death in the Zouks’ own DLS victory against the Guyana Amazon Warriors and was trusted with the penultimate over here, but Bravo hammered Hero Maximum no.101 to make victory a formality. Seifert drove for four to finish it with an over to spare and send the Knight Riders clear at the top of the table.

Summary: (Trinbago Knight Riders 75/4 (DM Bravo 23*, Seifert 18*, Munro 17; Williams 2/17, Nabi 1/15, C Holder 1/24) beat St Lucia Zouks 111/6 (Nabi 30*, Najibullah 21, Cornwall 18; DJ Bravo 2/7, Tambe 1/15, Pierre 1/19, Fawad 1/21) by 6 wickets (DLS target 72 off 9 overs)

 Upcoming Fixture: Wednesday 26 August - Match 14: Barbados Tridents v Jamaica Tallawahs (5:30 pm), Queen’s Park Oval

The Knight Riders bowled first against the Zouks, who had gotten a good start despite losing Andre Fletcher early. It was just the third over, but already the Zouks had raced to 32 when Bravo was asked to bowl in the Powerplay.

His first three deliveries were dot balls, a yorker on middle stump, and two low full tosses at different paces. Then with his fourth delivery, he bowled back of a length. Cornwall took the bait, driving through cover only to be well caught by Colin Munro.

But before Bravo really celebrated his achievement, he had to refocus and get back to it, taking his 501^st wicket in a series of three overs that accounted for just seven.

Rain would interrupt the game in the 18^th over with the Zouks 111-6. Duckworth/Lewis’ intervention meant the Knight Riders would have to chase 72 from nine overs. The former champions would end on 74-2 in eight overs.

“It’s a great result for us, we really wanted to win this game. It is very important for us to keep winning cricket games,” said Bravo.

“Every time we and St Lucia play it is a rain-affected game but I am very very happy for the result,” he said.

With the win out of the way, Bravo could celebrate the personal milestone in a more real way.

“I guess I gotta say congratulations to myself are in order. It’s a great feeling. I’ve already gotten a lot of messages from a lot of people. It’s been a great journey so far,” said Bravo.

Bravo also thanked his teammates all around the world, saying achieving 500 wickets would not have been possible without them.

The Queen’s Park Oval, where the match was played, is the home of Bravo’s boyhood cricket club, Queen’s Park Cricket Club. Taking his 500^th wicket at the venue was not lost on the all-rounder.

“This is where I started playing cricket. At age eight is where it all started for me and I couldn’t be a more happy person to have gotten this here at the Queen’s Park Oval,” he said.

But Bravo isn’t dwelling on the achievement, he wants to keep going for as long as possible.

“I want to stay as fit as possible for as long as possible. Continue to build and keep taking wickets for whatever team I play for and enjoy the game. That is the most important thing for me,” he said.

Pollard had big shoes to fill, as Bravo had led the TKR to back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018.

The big West Indies captain, the most experienced T20 player in the history of the format, lost to eventual champions Barbados Tridents in the second qualifier for the competition’s final in 2019.

Still, he has retained his position as skipper in the team and has the blessing of his predecessor.

CEO of the TKR, Venky Mysore, revealed recently that Bravo, though very successful as captain of the team, had, for a long time, wanted to pass the baton, but he had delayed the action.

"The champion DJ Bravo has been coming to me year after year and asking me to give someone else the captaincy because he wants to just concentrate on playing and enjoying the game,” said Mysore.

Bravo, who recently came out of international retirement, has also played under Pollard for the West Indies and has lauded his approach to captaincy.

“I always told him not until I am ready and that time has come and he is very happy to play under Pollard,” said Mysore.

The TKR will open the CPL season against last year’s beaten finalists, the Guyana Amazon Warriors on August 18.

“Pollard was kind enough to accept the position to lead the team at the tournament. He said if we wanted him to do it he will and we said that we will be delighted to have him as captain again,” said Mysore.

(Barbados Royals 162/7 (Mayers 36, Cornwall 32; Deyal 2/15, Joseph 2/31) beat Saint Lucia Kings 91/4 (Du Plessis 47*, Joseph 29*; Mayers 4/4) by 11 runs (DLS))

The Saint Lucia Kings won the toss and opted to field first, and they took full advantage of that decision with a disciplined bowling display. 

The Tallawahs were never made to feel comfortable and but for some late order hitting from Mohammed Nabi they would have struggled to post a defendable total. 

However, their 148 proved more than enough as the Tallawahs produced a fantastic display in the field.

Nabi followed up his fireworks with the bat with some exceptionally parsimonious bowling to lead the Tallawahs to victory.

Earlier, the Kings had restricted the Tallawahs to a paltry 29-2 in the PowerPlay as Matthew Forde and Alzarri Joseph bowled exceptional lengths.

The Kings continued to take wickets at regular intervals and when Kesrick Williams removed Chris Green for two the Tallawahs found themselves 115-/8. However, Nabi lead the counterattack following that dismissal and finished on 31 off 15 balls to ensure the Tallawahs had something to bowl at.

In reply, the Kings got off to a good start reaching 54-2 at the end of the PowerPlay but when Du Plessis was dismissed for 41 in the eighth over the Kings found themselves in a hole from which they couldn’t recover.

The Tallawahs bowling unit all played their part as the Kings folded for 115 and exited the competition.

The Tallawahs' victory now means that they will battle the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the second qualifier on Wednesday night to determine who will contest the Hero CPL final against the Barbados Royals.

Scores: Jamaica Tallawahs 148-8 (Brooks 47, Nabi 31*; Wiese 3-19, Joseph 2-31) beat Saint Lucia Kings 115 (Du Plessis 41, Joseph 28*; Nabi 3-10, Allen 3-28) by 33 runs.

The 37-year-old all-rounder announced his decision, in April, to join the Patriots after seven years with Trinbago Knight Riders, where he won four CPL titles.  Ahead of requesting a trade to the eastern Caribbean team, Bravo had cited a desire to help mould a new generation of upcoming cricketers.

With the performance of some of the Patriot's younger players this season, the move might just have paid dividends.  Opening batsman Evin Lewis has an astounding season to date, having racked up a record 420 runs so far, with Wednesday’s final still to be added to the tally.  Sherfane Rutherford has also done well with the bat, tallying 237 runs in 10 games so far, with a number of eye-catching performances, while Dominic Drakes has featured prominently among the league’s top bowlers with 15 wickets to date.

“When I decided on making the move I said I wanted to challenge myself.  I wanted to try and help the younger players in different teams.  So to get to the finals, to see the way that Sherfane Rutherford played through the tournament and Evin, young Drakes, that gives me all the pleasure and I think I achieved what I wanted to achieve,” Bravo said, following the team’s semifinal win over the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

“I wanted to help build a team that could actually compete in the tournament and press on to try and win a trophy and we have one more game, it’s going to be a difficult game because the St Lucia Kings have been playing well.”

The final will be the second for St Kitts and Nevis who also made the 2017 final where they lost to a Knight Rider team of which Bravo was a part.

 With all three previous games on this track won by the team batting first, Daren Sammy chose to set a target. Kimani Melius announced himself on Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) debut with a glorious Hero Maximum off Chandrapaul Hemraj but was caught at mid-off trying to repeat the trick off Imran Tahir.

 Tahir didn’t stop there, as he had Mark Deyal dropped first ball and caught second, both by Ashmead Nedd. Nedd started solidly with the ball, but Chase clubbed Keemo Paul for six to add some gloss to the Zouks’ Powerplay score of 37/2.

 Amazon Warriors captain Chris Green used fve bowlers in the first seven overs including two overs from himself, culminating in him yorking Andre Fletcher. Nedd got the deserved wicket of Najibullah Zadran, whose mishit saw him caught on the boundary for a duck.

 A lot now rested on Chase and Mohammad Nabi, and the Bajan took three boundaries off Odean Smith’s first over. The two were cautious initially against the spinners, and the Zouks were a middling 67/4 at halfway.

 Paul and Smith conceded just one boundary each, and Nedd finished his spell beautifully. Nabi briefly broke free with an enormous Hero Maximum and a powerful four off Green, but he was beaten in the flight by Tahir and gave the skipper a straightforward catch.

 Chase brought up his second T20 fifty off 40 balls, and in his first game for the Zouks, Javelle Glenn got off the mark with a lovely cover-drive. But Paul was dismissed for just two, and with four overs to go, the Zouks needed an acceleration. Chase provided it, launching Tahir straight and swinging Paul through square leg, and Glenn settled himself with a boundary of his own.

 Green gave Smith the last over, and his pace proved effective as Glenn and Chase fell in consecutive balls. There was to be no hat-trick, but the over was reward for the bowler and captain’s persistence, and the Zouks’ total seemed below-par.

 Their bowling however was anything but. Nabi bowled a superb first over, and two Scott Kuggeleijn short balls saw King caught behind for 1 and Shimron Hetmyer top-edging to square leg for 4 to leave the Amazon Warriors two down in the second over.

 The Amazon Warriors predicament got even worse when Ross Taylor top-edged a reverse paddle-sweep off the back of the bat into his own helmet and was caught, giving Nabi a first wicket. Even a Hemraj six off Chase couldn’t put much gloss on a Powerplay of 19/3.

 Pooran was lucky to pick up four off a Kesrick Williams short ball, but there was nothing lucky about the authoritative pull for six that followed. Holder was wayward, with wides, a no-ball, and a deft steer through third man, and a 15 run overtook the Amazon Warriors to 59/3 at halfway.

 Hemraj struggled for timing throughout, and eventually spooned a leading-edge off Williams, which was well caught by Chase. Sammy showed faith in Holder, who recovered after being crashed for four by the promoted Paul, but two boundaries in a 12 run over from Pooran put a slight dent in Nabi’s still excellent figures.

 The Zouks got sloppy in the next over, as an overthrow brought up Pooran’s 50 off 32 balls  and Sammy dropped a very simple catch. Pooran then top-edged over the keeper’s head for four to bring the required rate under nine.

 Chase ensured Pooran couldn’t find a boundary, but the Amazon Warriors’ number five made up for that off Williams to take his team into the last four overs needing 39. Paul clobbered a Hero Maximum off Chase’s last ball and brought up the 50 partnership, but he picked out Nabi at deep midwicket in the next over.

 Sherfane Rutherford blasted his second ball for six to dent Kuggeleijn’s figures. The equation seemed to have swung dramatically in the Zouks favour when Pooran bottom-edged a Williams slower ball onto his stumps, but the Warriors burgled 8 off the last four balls of the 19th including a botched run-out to leave Rutherford on strike and 13 to win off the last over, to be bowled by Holder.

 Holder responded magnificently. He flattened Rutherford’s off-stump with a pinpoint yorker, then he had captain Green caught behind, and a bowler who’d gone for 30 off his first 3 overs sealed the win with 2/2, showing the world why West Indian cricket is so excited about him and giving the Zouks a third straight win ahead of the move to Port-of-Spain.

On Wednesday, the Knight Riders added the St Lucia Zouks to their growing list of victims, following a 6 wicket D/L win in the top of the table clash.  On a historic day for one of the team’s top bowlers, Dwayne Bravo, the Tridents successfully chased down the Zouks’ rain-hampered 111 for 6.

With wins over the Barbados Tridents, Jamaica Tallawahs, and Guyana Amazon Warriors the Knights Riders have shown tremendous ability with both bat and ball.

“When you look at our squad, the core of the team.  A couple of guys missed out and we got a couple to come in.  But we have guys that want to perform and want that opportunity, the guys that are playing are very hungry,” Pollard said, following the game.

“Each and every person has an idea of what their role is.  There is a lot clarity that is going on in the dressing room, so when guys get their opportunity, they know exactly what they need to do,” he added.

 “Once we put those pieces of the puzzle together and everyone knows their strengths, more often than not if we play a proper game we are going to come out on top. Our strength is our teamwork and communication."

Cornwall is no different, with the big off-spinner hoping for a season like the one he had in 2019.

Known more as a bowling allrounder, last season Cornwall was immense with the bat for the St Lucia Zouks, scoring 254 runs in 10 matches, with a highest of 75.

“Obviously, it’s going to be different from the previous CPL where you have the crowd and so on, but at the end of the day cricket still remains the same. I would like to continue where I left off last year because I think I had a pretty good year in the CPL last year where I scored the most runs for the St. Lucia Zouks, and there is no doubt that I want to repeat that this year,” said Cornwall in an interview with the Antigua Observer.

According to Cornwall, players doing well is usually the result of hard work and he has no issue with putting in the effort that it takes to repeat that performance.

“I just have to put in the work and I think we have a couple of days or just over a week to get ready before the tournament, so I am sure I will be fine by then, and I will just keep putting the numbers on the board,” he said.

“As a professional, you have to know what you need to do to get yourself ready for a match. I think you just have to keep practising, and once all of the protocols [quarantine and testing] are over and you are out of isolation, then your mind would automatically switch back to cricket and you just have to know what you need to do in terms of your role for the team, and by then, hitting the 18th [August], you should be ready,” he said.'

Cornwall will again turn out for the St Lucia Zouks who will play their opening game against the Jamaica Tallawahs on August 19 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.

The decision not to bowl Cornwall, who recently came back from representing the West Indies in England, raised a few eyebrows.  But, the spinner has not been among the tournaments leading wicket-takers for several seasons.  In addition, Zouks captain Darren Sammy had a battery of spin bowlers at his disposal, which included Roston Chase, who took more wickets than Cornwall in England.

In the end, after making it to their first CPL final, as heavy underdogs, the Zouks fell short to the Trinbago Knight Riders.  Cornwall has insisted he was fit and ready to perform but his omission from the line-up was the captain’s choice.

“It was basically the captain’s decision; maybe it was his gut feeling to go for the other bowlers.  He thought he didn’t need me at that time so he went for especially his depth bowlers,” Cornwall recently told the Antigua Observer.

"The pitch was a spin bowlers pitch and I am always ready for whenever he calls on me and if he doesn’t then it is the case but I’m always set and ready if I am called upon,” he added.

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. 

The opening day of the tournament will see the Trinbago Knight Riders Women take on the Barbados Royals women before the current Men’s champions, St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, begin their title defence against the Jamaica Tallawahs.

The women’s CPL will feature four matches in the inaugural 2022 season in addition to the seven women’s games at the SKYEXCH 6IXTY which takes place immediately before Hero CPL.  This is 11 matches in total, representing a big step forward in the scheduling of women’s franchise cricket in the region, with plans to grow this in subsequent years.

“It is very exciting to be able to confirm the fixtures for this season with this announcement being all the more special with the WCPL taking place for the first time in 2022,” said CPL CEO Pete Russell. “We can’t wait to be back travelling around the Caribbean and we are looking forward to welcoming our wonderful fans to stadiums across the region.”

2022 CPL schedule below:

 Wednesday 31 August, 3 pm

Trinbago Knight Riders Women vs Barbados Royals Women

Wednesday 31 August, 7 pm

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men vs Jamaica Tallawahs Men

Thursday 1 September, 10 am

Saint Lucia Kings Men vs Trinbago Knight Riders Men

Thursday 1 September, 3 pm

Guyana Amazon Warriors Women vs Trinbago Knight Riders Women

Thursday 1 September, 7 pm

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men vs Barbados Royals Men

Saturday 3 September, 10 am

Jamaica Tallawahs Men vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Men

Saturday 3 September, 3 pm

Barbados Royals Women vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Women

Saturday 3 September, 7 pm

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men vs Trinbago Knight Riders Men

Sunday 4 September, 10 am

Barbados Royals Men vs Saint Lucia Kings Men

Sunday 4 September, 2:30 pm

WOMEN’S FINAL 

Sunday 4 September, 7 pm

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Men

Saint Lucia

Wednesday 7 September, 10 am

Barbados Royals Men vs Trinbago Knight Riders Men

Wednesday 7 September, 7 pm

St Lucia Kings Men vs Jamaica Tallawahs Men

Thursday  8 September, 10 am

Guyana Amazon Warriors Men vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men

Thursday  8 September, 7 pm

Saint Lucia Kings Men vs Barbados Royals Men

Saturday 10 September, 10 am

Jamaica Tallawahs Men vs Trinbago Knight Riders Men

Saturday 10 September, 7 pm

Saint Lucia Kings Men vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Men

Sunday 11 September, 10 am

Jamaica Tallawahs Men vs Barbados Royals Men

Sunday 11 September, 7 pm

Saint Lucia Kings Men vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men

Trinidad

Tuesday 13 September, 7 pm

Trinbago Knight Riders Men vs Barbados Royals Men

Wednesday 14 September 10 am

Jamaica Tallawahs Men vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men

Wednesday 14 September, 7 pm

Trinbago Knight Riders Men vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Men

Thursday 15 September, 10 am

Barbados Royals Men vs Jamaica Tallawahs Men

Saturday 17  September, 10 am

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men vs Saint Lucia Kings Men

Saturday 17  September, 7 pm

Trinbago Knight Riders Men vs Jamaica Tallawahs Men

Sunday 18 September, 10 am

Barbados Royals Men vs Guyana Amazon Warriors Men

Sunday 18 September, 7 pm

Trinbago Knight Riders Men vs Saint Lucia Kings Men

Guyana

Wednesday 21 September, 10 am

Barbados Royals Men vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men

Wednesday 21 September, 7 pm

Guyana Amazon Warriors Men vs Jamaica Tallawahs Men

Thursday 22 September, 10 am

Trinbago Knight Riders Men vs St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Men

Thursday 22 September, 7 pm

Guyana Amazon Warriors Men vs Saint Lucia Kings Men

Saturday 24 September, 7 pm

Guyana Amazon Warriors Men vs Trinbago Knight Riders Men

Sunday 25 September, 10 am

Jamaica Tallawahs Men vs Saint Lucia Kings Men

Sunday 25 September, 7 pm

Guyana Amazon Warriors Men vs Barbados Royals Men

Tuesday 27 September, 10 am

Qualifier 1 -  1st place finisher vs 2nd place finisher

Tuesday 27 September, 7 pm

Eliminator – 3rd place finisher vs 4th place finisher

Wednesday 28 September, 7 pm

Qualifier 2 – Winner of Eliminator vs Loser of Qualifier 1

Friday 30 September, 7 pm

Final – Winner of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Qualifier 2

For now, the CPL has decided to take a wait and see type of approach as it relates to keeping its original scheduled launch date in September of this.  Although the virus has largely, comparatively had less of an impact on the Caribbean to date, Russell insisted the CPL were keeping a close eye on things.

There are contingencies in place that could see the tournament played behind closed doors and without overseas players, at one stadium in Barbados.  With a few months still left to go before the scheduled start of the event, Russell is hoping things will get better.

"It's good that the Caribbean has locked down early, and it hasn't been hit in the same way as the UK, for example," Russell told Espncricinfo. "We're looking at different permutations in terms of what could or couldn't happen, but the lucky thing is that we've got a bit of time - we don't have to force a decision,” he added.

"I don't think there's any question that we'll be able to play it. We're only going to play if it's safe to do so, but we've been approached by a lot of the countries who want it to happen. The reason [for that] is that it's a big sporting event, and it could act as a sign or a marker that the Caribbean is open for business again."