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It’s the West Indies’ premier T20 domestic competition and now it’s time to take a closer look at the Caribbean Premier League.
About the Format
Six teams take part in the competition which traditionally runs from the end of August through the whole of September and into early October.
The CPL consists of an initial group stage, which is then followed by a series of knockout games. In the opening phase, all sides will play each other twice. At the end of this sequence, the four best performing teams will progress to the next round.
There now follows a series of playoffs which are similar to the IPL and other major T20 competitions around the world. First up is a qualifier between the first and second placed teams with the winner going straight through to the final.
Next we have an eliminator between the third and fourth placed sides. The loser of that game goes home while the winner progresses to a second qualifier. In that second qualifier, they will face the loser of qualifier 1. The winner of this final playoff game will then progress to the final.
It’s a complex system, but it’s one that we see in similar global tournaments, and it’s intended to give an advantage to the best teams from the group stages.
Teams List & Best Players
The six teams taking part in the Caribbean Premier League are:
- Barbados Royals
- Guyana Amazon Warriors
- Antigua and Barbuda Falcons
- St Kitts and Nevis Patriots
- Saint Lucia Kings
- Trinbago Knight Riders
Barbados Royals
The Barbados Royals were skippered for some years by South Africa’s David Miller. For the most recent edition of the competition in 2024, Miller was replaced by the big-hitting West Indian international Rovman Powell. David Miller dropped into the ranks of the squad and he was joined by compatriots Keshav Maharaj and Quinton de Kock while the best domestic players include Jason Holder, Obed McCoy, Alick Athanaze and Rahkeem Cornwall.
Guyana Amazon Warriors
Captaining the Guyana Amazon Warriors in 2024 was the experienced South African Imran Tahir. He led an impressive roster of West Indian talent, which includes former skipper Shimron Hetmyer, plus Shamar Joseph, Romario Shepherd, Keemo Paul and Shai Hope.
Flying the flags for various international teams are Moeen Ali, Azam Khan, Dwaine Pretorius, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Tim Robinson and Nathan Sowter.
Antigua and Barbuda Falcons
Making their debut in the 2024 Caribbean Premier League, the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons replaced the outgoing Jamaica Tallawahs. The Falcons retained much of the Jamaican squad, including their skipper, Australian all-rounder Chris Green.
Green led a strong overseas roster that also included Sam Billings, Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim and Fakhar Zaman. Among the domestic players who guided the Falcons to fifth place in the debut season were Brandon King, Roshon Primus and Hayden Walsh Jr.
St Kitts and Nevis Patriots
After former skipper Dwayne Bravo headed into retirement, the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots were forced to regroup. For the 2024 edition of the CPL, the team was led by Andre Fletcher, and he was joined by fellow West Indian internationals including Kyle Mayers, Evin Lewis, Sherfane Rutherford, Sheldon Cottrell, Joshua da Silva and Odean Smith.
Heading up a strong overseas contingent were Anrich Nortje, Nuwan Thushara, Sikandar Raza and Tabraiz Shamsi.
Saint Lucia Kings
The Saint Lucia Kings bring in an experienced overseas leader with Faf Du Plessis skippering the side. Tim Seifert, Noor Ahmad and David Wiese also flew in for the CPL in 2024, but the Kings may want to see more overseas reinforcements moving forward.
Local players looking to bring the title to Saint Lucia include Roston Chase, Johnson Charles and Alzarri Joseph.
Trinbago Knight Riders
Trinbago Knight Riders were led by Kieron Pollard in 2024, but as he approaches retirement, the all-rounder may be replaced for the next edition of the CPL. During his time in charge, Pollard led some exciting fellow West Indians, including Sunil Narine, Nicholas Pooran and Andre Russell.
Support in 2024 came from one of the strongest overseas contingents in the League, with Chris Jordan, Tim David, Jason Roy, and Josh Little all lining up for Trinbago .
Defunct CPL Teams
Jamaica Tallawahs
An exciting team with top players from the West Indies and overseas, the Jamaica Tallawahs competed in the CPL from 2013 to 2023. At the start of 2024, it was announced that the team would not compete in the competition moving forward, due to a lack of financial support from the Jamaican government. They are replaced in the 2024 edition by the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons.
The Tallawahs won the title three times, in 2013, 2016 and 2022. It seems strange that a nation that has produced so many brilliant West Indian cricketers is no longer sending a team to the CPL, but perhaps this situation will change in the future.
Antigua Hawksbills
The Antigua Hawksbills appeared for the first two seasons of the CPL in 2013 and 2014. The team struggled in those two campaigns, winning just three of its 16 group games and failing to make it through to the playoffs.
In 2015, several star names left the squad to join the Saint Kitts and Nevis franchise. The Hawksbills disbanded, although CPL cricket has now returned to the region in the shape of the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons.
Which Team has Won the CPL the Most Times?
The most successful team in the history of the CPL are the Trinbago Knight Riders. The team has won four titles since the 2013 inception and the 2024 tournament.
The Knight Riders’ first title came in 2015 and they claimed their fourth CPL trophy in the 2020 edition.
CPL Winners by Year
2024 Winner – Saint Lucia Kings
The Saint Lucia Kings won their first title at the end of the 2024 Caribbean League. In the final, they chased down a target of 138 set by Guyana Amazon Warriors with six wickets and 11 balls to spare. Roston Chase was named Player of the Match following an economical bowling spell and an unbeaten 39 in the run chase.
2023 Winner – Guyana Amazon Warriors
After finishing as runners up on five previous occasion, Guyana finally won their first CPL title in 2023. They successfully chased down a small target of 94 set by Trinbago Knight Riders in the final, and the team had a full six overs to spare. The Amazon Warriors lost just one wicket in that run chase, while four wickets from Dwaine Pretorious earned the South African the Player of the Match award.
2022 Winner – Jamaica Tallawahs
Jamaica claimed their third title in 2022 after beating the Barbados Royals by eight wickets in the final at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. The Royals had set a testing target of 161, but the Tallawahs got across the line after just 16.1 overs. Brandon Kings was the hero for the Tallawahs with his unbeaten 83 from just 50 balls.
2021 Winner – St Kitts & Nevis Patriots
St Kitts and Nevis Patriots beat the Saint Lucia Kings in the 2021 CPL final by a three-wicket margin. Kings batted first and posted 159/7 but the Patriots chased the total down from the very last ball of the match.
2020 Winner – Trinbago Knight Riders
Trinbago Knight Riders claimed their fourth CPL title in 2020. In the final, they took on St Lucia and won the game by eight wickets.
St Lucia batted first and were dismissed for 154. In reply, the Knight Riders chased down their target for the loss of two wickets and with 11 balls to spare.
2019 Winner – Barbados Tridents
Barbados Tridents won their second CPL title when they beat the Guyana Amazon Warriors by 27 runs in the 2019 final. Barbados made 171/6 from their 20 overs with Jonathan Carter hitting 50 at the death.
In reply, Guyana fell short, making 144/9 from their 20 overs.
2018 Winner – Trinbago Knight Riders
In 2018, Guyana were the beaten finalists again when they were outdone by Trinbago Knight Riders in the final.
The Amazon Warriors batted first and made 147/9. In their reply, the Knight Riders chased the target down, losing just two wickets along the way.
2017 Winner – Trinbago Knight Riders
The winners of the 2017 CPL were Trinbago Knight Riders who beat St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the final. St Kitts batted first and made 135/6 from their 20 overs.
The Knight Riders struggled at times in their reply but finally chased down their target for the loss of seven wickets with one over to spare.
2016 Winner – Jamaica Tallawahs
The 2016 edition of the CPL saw the Jamaica Tallawahs win their second trophy. Guyana Amazon Warriors batted first in the final but were dismissed for just 93 on the final ball of their twenty overs.
The chase was easy for Jamaica who lost just one wicket as they passed their target with more than seven overs left.
2015 Winner – Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel
Trinbago won their first CPL trophy in 2015 as they beat Barbados in the final. Playing as Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel, they batted first and made 178/5 from their 20 overs.
In reply, Barbados fell short by 20 runs as they made 158/4.
2014 Winner – Barbados Tridents
The 2014 edition of the Caribbean Premier League was won by Barbados who beat Guyana Amazon Warriors in the final.
Weather affected the game and it needed the intervention of Duckworth Lewis. Barbados made 152/6 batting first and Guyana fell eight runs short of their revised target.
2013 Winner – Jamaica Tallawahs
The first ever winners of the CPL were the Jamaica Tallawahs. Guyana were the losing finalists as they made just 128/5.
It was a simple target for the Tallawahs who chased it down for the loss of three wickets with 15 balls to spare.
Conclusion
An interesting statistical point to note here is that Guyana Amazon Warriors have now been the losing CPL finalists on no fewer than six occasions. Using statistics up to and including 2024, they had made it all the way to the final in seven of the first 12 editions of the Caribbean Premier League.
The West Indies have produced some of the best limited overs players in the game so the CPL is bound to be an exciting tournament. It’s a quick and thrilling competition and I recommend tuning in.
