CPL

Hero CPL goes virtual with launch of new Esports gaming series

By Sports Desk March 26, 2021

The Hero Caribbean Premier League will be launching an exciting new content series, the Hero CPL Esports League, featuring professional cricketers from around the world playing Cricket 19, the leading cricket console game.

This is the first time a T20 franchise tournament has had an Esports competition with the cricketers representing their franchise as the Hero CPL continues to push the boundaries of engagement with their fans.

Released next week, this fun and engaging series will bring the reality of T20 cricket, but with a big difference – the players will be controlling virtual versions of themselves and instead of just having their own game to worry about they are in charge of all of their teammates.

 “The Hero CPL is always looking to engage fans in different ways and this is another example of us innovating. This series is another first for a tournament that prides itself on being at the cutting edge of entertainment and we are very excited about seeing the reaction from our fans as they see these CPL stars show off their competitive skills in a virtual tournament,” said Hero CPL COO Pete Russell.

The players taking part are Colin Munro playing as the Trinbago Knight Riders, Mitchell Santner representing Barbados Tridents, Andre Fletcher and Kesrick Williams playing as St Lucia Zouks, Sheldon Cottrell and Ish Sodhi representing St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Nicholas Pooran and Ashmead Nedd representing the Guyana Amazon Warriors and Glenn Phillips and Ryan Persaud representing Jamaica Tallawahs. At the end of the competition, an individual champion is crowned as the first winner of the virtual Hero CPL.

 “It is really exciting to be involved in this new competition and it didn't take long for my competitive instincts to kick in. One of the great things about the CPL is that they are always trying something new and it was great to be involved in the first franchise Esports League," Munro said.

This series will give Hero CPL fans and gamers alike the opportunity to get behind their favourite players and teams once again as they take on their rivals in this groundbreaking gaming format. They will be able to see and hear the passion these players have when they are competing, with a controller in their hands rather than a bat and ball.

The shows are hosted by Gautam Bhimani and Alex Jordan who bring you all the action during this hard-fought tournament.

This content series is being supported by Hero MotoCorp Limited (HMCL), the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, who have been the title sponsors of the Hero Caribbean Premier League since 2015. Hero has long been a key partner of marquee sporting events - including cricket, soccer, field hockey and golf - in India and across the globe and this partnership sees them also venturing into the ever-growing Esports arena.

Episode one will go live on 2 April 2021 (1 pm GMT, 6:30 pm IST, 9 am ECT) on Hero CPL’s YouTube and Facebook channels and the series will also be shown with selected broadcasters.

Related items

  • Curators and grounds staff workshop reap benefits ahead of T20 World Cup Curators and grounds staff workshop reap benefits ahead of T20 World Cup

    The men and women who will be responsible for the preparations of the pitches and fields for the upcoming ICC Men’s Twenty20 (T20) World Cup, are now well equipped with the tool of the trade. Following a two-week series of workshops, the ground staff across the region went through theory and practical sessions geared towards education and re-education on the rudiment of their crucial roles.

    Over 100 participants completed the workshop series, which included both indoor educational sessions and outdoor practical events. The events were led by senior officials of Cricket West Indies (CWI).

    Winston Reid, the Lead Curator for the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA), lauded the initiative, which he hopes will continue beyond the World Cup.

    Reid, who is based at Kensington Oval in Barbados, the venue that will host the June 29 World Cup final, had a hugely successful cricket career when he played over 100 matches at the regional level for Barbados. He joined the staff at the historic venue in 2005, ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2007.

    “This was a very good initiative by the ICC [International Cricket Council], CWI [Cricket West Indies] and the BCA [Barbados Cricket Association]. This is something that should be encouraged, and I know the staff here benefited tremendously. It was a wonderful eye-opener, an education in many ways it was enlightening and interactive and the responses I got from the others who participated, said to me it was clear they too benefitted in a meaningful way,” Reid said.

    “The reason behind the workshop was to improve in every way we can and to do better at our jobs. We are gearing up towards the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be the biggest event we have ever hosted. We will be staging the final here, at this magnificent venue, so we want to make sure everyone is fully equipped.

    “Not only for Kensington, but for curatorship at all the other venues around the island and the region. We want to see better pitches and fields and playing conditions for our players to show their skills and also to entertain the fans in the stands. So, this was a very timely workshop series which augurs well for the game in the West Indies going forward," he added.

    Roland Holder, CWI Manager of Cricket Operations and Head of Cricket for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, outlined the reasons behind the series of workshops. He said the series was crafted by CWI and designed to upskill existing curators across the region by exposing them to international best practices for pitch preparation and applicable maintenance, while simultaneously expanding the cadre of curators by identifying new talent with the appropriate combination of theoretical knowledge and practical exposure, to lend further expertise to match venues to deliver a world-class event in June.

    A CWI Curators Manual was also produced in the lead up to the workshop and will be disseminated to the curators.

    Six countries in the West Indies will host matches in the ninth edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup which will be played from June 1-29. West Indies, which hosted the event in 2010, will hold matches at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua; Kensington Oval, Barbados; Guyana National Stadium, Guyana; Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Saint Lucia; Arnos Vale, St Vincent and Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago.

    The event will be the largest in the tournament’s history with 20 international teams playing 55 matches across nine locations. It is the first time USA will host matches at a T20 World Cup, with 16 first-round matches split between Nassau County International Cricket Stadium (New York), Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium (Dallas), and Broward County Stadium (Lauderhill).

  • Organizers host curator’s workshop across six venues ahead of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Organizers host curator’s workshop across six venues ahead of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup

    As preparations continue for the hosting of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, organizers will be hosting a series of workshops for the pitch and outfield curators as well as other members of the ground staff who will be responsible for the venues and facilities across the region.

    Over 50 staff members in the six host nations in the West Indies will benefit from the knowledge and expertise of International Cricket Council (ICC) and Cricket West Indies (CWI) officials as part of the workshops and developmental courses which started on March 6 and will end on March 27.

    Roland Holder, CWI Manager of Cricket Operations and Head of Cricket for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, outlined the reasons behind the series of workshops.

    He said the upcoming series is crafted by CWI and designed to upskill existing curators across the region by exposing them to international best practices for pitch preparation and applicable maintenance, while simultaneously expanding the cadre of curators by identifying new talent with the appropriate combination of theoretical knowledge and practical exposure, to lend further expertise to match venues as we seek to deliver a world-class event in June.

    “We are enthusiastic about these workshops and educational seminars across the region. It is great to know that over 50 members of our ground staff will benefit from this series of seminars which has been strategically set-up in the six region host territories for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,” Holder said.

    He continued: “This is geared towards ensuring that the persons with responsibility for the pitch, outfield, and other facilities on the ground will benefit from the knowledge available, in line with international best practices and in keeping with the highest standards.

    “We are aware this is for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, but also post-World Cup, as good pitches lead to good cricket with an even contest between bat and ball. This is an essential area of preparation for what will be the biggest event ever hosted in the West Indies.”

    The workshops will include both indoor educational sessions and outdoor practical events. They started at Antigua and Barbuda on March 7-8, and will next move to St Lucia from March 11-12, then on to St Vincent and the Grenadines on March 14-15. From there the series moves to Barbados from March 18-19, and Guyana for the period March 21-22, before concluding in Trinidad and Tobago on March 25-26.

    These six countries will host matches in the ninth edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup which will be played from June 1 to 29. West Indies, which hosted the event in 2010, will hold matches at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Kensington Oval, Guyana National Stadium, Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Arnos Vale, and Brian Lara Cricket Academy.

    The event will be the largest in the tournament’s history with 20 international teams playing 55 matches across nine locations. It is the first time USA will host matches at a T20 World Cup, with 16 first-round matches split between Nassau County International Cricket Stadium (New York), Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium (Dallas), and Broward County Stadium (Lauderhill).

  • Massy Women's Caribbean Premier League sets new viewership record Massy Women's Caribbean Premier League sets new viewership record

    The Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) set a new record for viewership numbers in 2023. The total broadcast and digital viewership for the 2023 tournament reached 36.2million for the expanded tournament which took place in Barbados and Trinidad.

     The Massy WCPL had a 45% rise in viewership in 2023, with a huge increase in the number of fans tuning in around the world for the second season of the event.

     The seven-match tournament concluded with the Barbados Royals beating the Guyana Amazon Warriors to claim the title, with the final at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy being the most watched match.

     The tournament saw some amazing performances with New Zealand’s Sophie Devine finishing as the leading run scorer and breakout Indian star Shreyanka Patil claiming the most wickets. West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews was the player of the final with a brilliant 82 runs and two wickets as the Barbados Royals emerged victorious.

     Pete Russell, CPL’s CEO, said: “We are delighted with the viewing figures in 2023 as global interest in the women’s game continues to grow. The second edition of the WCPL surpassed all expectations in terms of interest and the quality of cricket and we are already looking forward to the 2024 event which we are certain will be even more successful.”

    Johnny Grave, CEO of Cricket West Indies, said: “The growth in the interest and opportunities in women’s cricket in the Caribbean in recent years has been incredible and Cricket West Indies are very pleased with the impact WCPL has had on giving opportunities to our players to further develop their skills. To see the WCPL already showing such fantastic growth in year two is very pleasing and we are looking forward to seeing the tournament go from strength to strength in 2024 and beyond.”

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.