Caribbean Premier League 2021 [Preview]

The ninth edition of Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is all set to begin from 26^th August till 15^th September. Thirty-three matches will be played in the competition with six franchises fighting it out for the coveted trophy. All the matches will be played at Warner Park in Basseterre in St Kitts.

Trinbago Knight Riders, Guyana Amazon Warriors, St Lucia Kings Jamaica Tallawahs, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, and Barbados Royals are teams that will participate in the tournament.

Two-time CPL champions Jamaica Tallawahs will be led by all-rounder Rovman Powell for this year’s competition. Tallawahs have plenty of big names in their setup with Chadwick Walton, Haider Ali, Chris Green and Qais Ahmed playing for Tallawahs in this year’s competition. Tallawahs will be looking to go the distance in this year’s CPL.

Last year, St Lucia Kings delivered impressive performances to reach the finals of the competition. In the finals, they were comprehensively beaten by Trinbago Knight Riders by eight wickets. The franchise has gone through a complete overhaul. Former South African captain Faf du Plessis has been named captain of the side.

After doing well in the inaugural Hundred Men’s competition, Tim David has been signed by the franchise for this year’s competition. Head Coach Darren Sammy will be hoping that the side can break trophy drought this year. Samit Patel, Wahab Riaz and Usman Qadir are notable players signed by St Lucia Kings for this year’s tournament.

Four Time Champions Trinbago Knight Riders will be looking to successfully defend their title and win the coveted trophy for a record fifth time. Captain Kieron Pollard will be hoping that the side can kick-start their campaign on a positive note. Colin Munro, Tim Seifert, Ravi Rampaul, Isuru Udana and Yasir Shah are high-profile players signed by franchise for this year’s CPL.

Two-time CPL Champions Barbados Royals failed to qualify for the playoffs of the competition. Skipper Jason Holder will be hoping that the side can turn their fortunes around in this year’s tournament. Mohammad Amir, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr, Jake Lintott, Smit Patel, Azam Khan and Glenn Phillips have been signed by Royals for this year’s competition.

Last year’s runners-up St Kitts and Nevis Patriots suffered their worst campaign in the history of Caribbean Premier League. The side lost eight matches out of ten matches played in the competition. Asif Ali, Ravi Bopara, Fawad Ahmed, Paul Van Meekeren and Naseem Shah have been signed by Patriots for this year’s tournament.

Guyana Amazon Warriors will be led by Nicholas Pooran in a bid to help them clinch maiden trophy. Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Waqar Salamkheil and Imran Tahir are notable names included in the squad.

The opening game of the competition will see reigning champions Trinbago Knight Riders take on Guyana Amazon Warriors on 26th August at Warner Park in Basseterre. The first and second semifinal will take place at Warner Park, Basseterre on 14^th September. The final of Caribbean Premier League 2021 will be played at Warner Park in Basseterre on 15th September.