The St Kitts & Nevis Patriots have retained or sign seven Caribbean players including Evin Lewis, Fabien Allen and Sheldon Cottrell ahead of the 2020 CPL draft.

They have also signed Denesh Ramdin from the Trinbago Knight Riders. Captain Rayad Emrit, who has also been retained, is excited by the decisions made on player retentions and the hiring of a new coach.

“I am very excited to be part of the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots for a second season,” said the veteran bowler.

“I think that the team that is selected this year is going to be a very exciting one. I am very excited to be named as captain. It's always an honour and a privilege to lead a franchise.

“Our new coach, Simon Helmot, knows the CPL and he knows how to win titles. He and I are going to work very hard to get the team to the finals.”

Promising fast bowler Alzarri Joseph has also been retained with Dominic Drakes in as the emerging player.

The franchise will announce international retentions and signings later. For the 2020 season teams can retain as many players from their 2019 squads as they wish. They could also transfer players to other teams and sign emerging players.

The CPL is scheduled to take place between August 19 and September 26 but the tournament organisers are currently watching the current situation with COVID-19 closely and are liaising with medical advisors and governments.

The CPL said a decision on whether the tournament can proceed as planned, or at a different time, will be made as soon as possible.