Our series on cricket continues with a look at the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). The franchise league from the Caribbean is exciting and features some of the world’s best players!
The CPL features naturally aggressive, flamboyant cricketers whose only objective is smashing the ball as hard as they can, amid a partying crowd going crazy in the stadium. The CPL is nothing short of a carnival every time a match is played!
The domestic stars are of top quality in the CPL but if there are two things that go against the league, they are the lack of superstar overseas cricketers and the time zone in which their matches are played. There are some marquee names who play in the tournament, but the CPL cannot rival the IPL in this regard.
Players to look out for in the CPL with the bat include self-proclaimed ‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle, Keiron Pollard, Royston Chase, and South African Faf du Plessis. With the ball, keep an eye out for Sunil Narine, Ravi Rampaul, and Imran Tahir.
The CPL is one of the few cricket leagues in the world after the IPL which has managed to sustain its level. Despite the pandemic, last year’s CPL saw a record half a billion viewers. This was a 67% increase on the year before and it is thought that pandemic restrictions brought about a huge leap in Indian viewers.
The teams that compete in the CPL are the Saint Lucia Kings, Barbados Tridents, Trinbago Knight Riders, Jamaica Tallawahs, St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Guyana Amazon Warriors, and the Antigua Hawksbills. The most recent CPL finished this month and the Patriots won it in a final against the Kings. The most successful franchise are the Knight Riders with 4 CPL victories to date. The Trinbago Knight Riders are affiliated with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.
As this year’s CPL finished this month, the next tournament will not be played until August 2022.
To be continued…
